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Concord Dawn


Adi-Wan

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(Hrm, I could just entangle him with roots.... and possibly crush him with a tree....lol Being a naturalist could be fun indeed!)

 

Trushaun watched her attack work it's magic. It was astonishing. With the man pinned, she began her search for the young child. Trushuan tried to use the Force and could sense the child was close. It was still a slippery area of the Force. It was difficult. This child may not want to be found. But then the young Fosh saw a shadow in the woods. She ran after the shadow....

 

Maybe the elder mando saw the Fosh run into the shadows of the Forest. Trushaun needed to make this snappy. She was uneasy about leaving Xae-Lin alone with the enemy.

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Tsikala didn't see the reason that caused the Fosh to dart into the foliage, but if she was on the right track then it would be best if she followed the Padawan, since Ineira wouldn't know that the avian being was one that could be trusted.

 

Back at the bluff, Auros's chant had continued to build until at last he'd gathered the needed amount of energy. All it took was a simple word to drive the force and focus of that energy outward towards the rocks and smaller boulders that were trapping him, causing the morass to fracture and burst forth, peppering the area with shrapnel.

 

Xae was ready and waiting for him, jade lightsaber drawn, easily deflecting the projectiles with a Force shield. "Auros, you have no claim through her any longer. The clan will not accept her. I renounced our linage's birthright to leadership," she attempted to reason with him. "By our laws I am now head of the family and you know that my decision carries more weight than yours."

 

He roared, reigniting the lightwhip and lashed it at his ever-insufferable sister. "You had no right, and you will die for this!" he promised as he lunged at her, lightwhip lapping hungrily at its intended target.

 

Lightwhips had always been tricky things, and the wielder had to be extremely careful, more so than with a lightsaber, lest they do just as much damage to themselves as to their opponent. Xae knew this well, having fought her mother for control of the clan, which is why she'd made special modification to her own saber.

 

As she ignited John's emerald green saber, she also clicked an oscillator in the saber that she'd built, causing it to become a lightwhip as well. She swept upward with the jade saber, hoping to ensnare her brother's, only to find that he was now nearly on top of her, his intent apparent. He was going to use his size and strength to bully her to the cliff's edge, eventually driving her off as she was forced on the defensive.

 

One thing that she'd picked up from her time with John was how to really read her opponent and to use the appropriate tactics accordingly, and it was now that she used that forethought to draw the Force further around her allowing it to guide her actions more and more.

 

Her attempt to ensnare his lightwhip having failed as a result of his bull-charge she crouched down and attempted to put him off balance with a low kick.

 

Though he hadn't been expecting this move, he too had been calling upon the ancient powers of his clan so instead of fully going off balance, he circled and brought his fist to bear, taking great satisfaction as it connected with his sister's face. She would always be one step behind him.

 

Stars clouded the young Knight's vision as she stumbled back towards the trees, back on the defensive as he stalked towards her. She flicked her lightwhip upwards, connecting with his prior grazing wound as she shook her head, trying to clear it.

 

Auros dropped to one knee sweeping across with his whip as he roared through the pain and that was all the opportunity that Xae needed to defend with the emerald saber, which Auros's crimson beam wrapped around, ensnaring the latter's weapon.

 

As the casing was jerked from his hand and flung in to the forest, Auros stumbled back to his feet and charged at her again.

 

His rage blocks him to all else, Xae thought to herself, the very idea chilling her to the core. No control, just pure, blind hatred and power-lust.

 

She side-stepped, hitting him on his injured shoulder with the hilt. She would not kill him if she could help it, for it was not the Jedi way. He grunted as he whirled, his reactions quick as lightening as he made it through her defenses and made a lucky grab of her throat, hoisting her in to the air and slamming her into one of the nearby trees.

 

The surprise of the attack, coupled with the air being forced from her lungs as the wind was knocked out of her, caused Xae to instinctively drop both of her lightsabers and reach for the constriction on her neck.

 

Little pinpricks of light began to dance in her vision as she felt her oxygen levels drop. I can't...lose, she thought as did her best to breathe again, not liking for one minute the murderous look spreading across her brother's face.

 

She was a Jedi Guardian, and more than one person was counting on her now. She could not fail, it was not an option. She had faced her mother, and bested her. Now it was time to complete the circle with Auros; her niece's well-being depended on it.

 

Each time she reached out to summon her sabers, her brother batted her hands away, causing her to struggle more and use up her precious oxygen. One thing he hadn't counted on was the additional Mando'ad training that her former lover had given her.

 

Quickly realizing that as long as she was in his grip, she would not be able to reclaim her sabers, Xae tucked her legs up, building the Force around them and kicked out with both her legs, bolstered by the Force which gave her temporary strength, causing her to break free.

 

As Auros stumbled back, clutching both his chest and throat, she used that moment to summon and reignite her sabers, squaring off with him again as they prepared for the next round.

 

((I'll let you have Ineira as your NPC if you'd like, or I can just edit this later, but pretty much you can find her now.))

Edited by Guest

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Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

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Trushaun heard the elder mando run after her. She used the Force to send a message "Child spotted.."

 

Simple and effective. Reaching where she saw the shadow, there were no signs of disturbance. Listening to the forest, she heard movement off to the right. Following at a much more cautious pace, she had no idea what this child could, or could not do... Or what she would do at the site of the Fosh. She decided to "cross that bridge when she came to it."

 

Movement.

 

"Hello?" Trushaun called out. "We are here to help you..."

 

 

The Fosh looked back at the mando for some sort of input. A strike through the Force....Two! On was Xae, the other was local. The lack of paying attention would come back to bite her in the butt. With a loud THWACK a branch was released from under tension, coming around and smacking Trushaun in the face. A few feathers flew off her head-dress as she fell to her butt.

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A ghost-like whisper of child's laughter pealed through the Force, connecting with Trushaun, making it easier on the Fosh to locate her through the mystic connection. The Fosh could still sense that the being wasn't quite ready to trust the outsider, despite the given reassurances.

 

Tsikala reached down, helping the Padawan up. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of my head please," her tone wasn't harsh, purely matter-of-fact. She'd never trusted the jetiise's ability to project their voice into the minds of others. She didn't pause for a response but instead scanned for signs of her young charge, but the young one had learned well from her peers and instructors how to move silently and without trace through a forest.

 

"Ineira, verd'ika, it's safe to come out now," she coaxed, but the child remained hidden from her.

 

~~~~~~

 

Xae twirled her lightsaber as she carefully circled her brother, the two circling as a pair of tigers determining territory rights. Xae called on her own bond with the Force, waiting for his first twitch of movement.

 

He was careful this time, calculated as he wasn't readily armed, but she was and she was not about to strike an unarmed opponent.

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Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

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Trushaun got up with the mando's help and brushed herself off. "Apologies, I was unaware of boundaries."

 

"Trushaun thinks she sees the child." Saying out loud. She cursed herself for not feeling this trap. On her turf. Trushuan saw a shadow down the way, behind another tree. Pointing, the Fosh and Tsikala moved forward. The Mando coaxing the child out of hiding. She came out from behind the tree, Trushauns sensed something about this child, as if she was afflicted with something bad in the Force. But the child seemed sincere about coming out and walking up to Tsikala. She gave a look at the unusual Fosh and then want back to talking to her elder.

 

Sending a message to Xae, Trushaun made it short and to the point. "We have child."

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The trip back to the town was quick and almost effortless. The two mando's spoke briefly as they walked back then after a few moments the child went to the Fosh and followed her back to the village. Tsikala instructed Trushaun to hurry then she ran off herself. Towards the cliff.

 

"Luck..." The Jedi said.

 

Trushaun wanted so bad to help Xae back on the cliff, but she had told the young Fosh to specifically return to the village with the girl. And so she remained at the village. She stood outside, pacing back and forth. The Force told her to calm down. The young Fosh trusted in the Force, so she listened. She sat down and crossed her legs. She closed her eyes and connected with the plants around her. Everything living. There was somewhat an echo in the forest. Something bad had happened.

 

Searching the signs for some sort of trouble in the forest, she found nothing. There was nothing happening anywhere near where the cliff was, anymore at least. Save for a small echo. Something either went good, or horribly wrong. Trushaun couldn't analyze further, she needed more practice. Feeling a larger Force-Presence walking towards her, she reached for her saber. But when she opened her eyes, she saw her master. A smile crept across her face. Even though the Fosh was young, she could see some distaste in Xae's face over what just happened. The smile quickly vanished.

 

"T-The child is inside. She has remained silent ever since Tsikala left." She said standing up and returning her hands to her sides.

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"You did well Trushaun," Xae clapped a hand on the Fosh's shoulder as she sighed and prepared herself for the news that she was about to have to deliver not just to Ineira, but to the village leader as well. The fight had left her weary, both mentally and physically, but she did her best not to let the true extent of her weariness be too evident in her outward appearance.

 

She did communicate her gratitude through the Force to her Padawan who had earned more of Xae's respect by following her teacher's judgement, despite earnestly wanting to help Xae fight. It showed volumes of the character of her apprentice. This one would make a fine Jedi.

 

Xae ducked and entered the hut, willing her presence to be one of comfort and peace to calm the child, who was coloring in the corner, much as she always had ever since Xae had first brought her from Dathomir.

 

The five-year old didn't look up as her aunt approached her, silence passing between them with the exception of the small scraping sounds of the marking pen on the paper's surface. Xae came to sit behind her, opening herself to the Force once more to determine the level of damage that her brother had wrought on the girl this time.

 

"Ineira," Xae quietly broke the silence, "I have something that I need to tell you."

 

Without missing a beat or stopping her coloring, the young girl replied simply, "Ba'buir is kyrayc, and you made a mistake ba'vodu Xae."

 

"I see that you've picked up the customary directness of the Mando'ade," the elder Ardel observed, but she wasn't about to deny the child's statement. "Nevertheless, you are right. Her death was honorable, and my earlier judgement didn't factor in the possibility of your father finding his way off of Dathomir." Xae sensed that there was more to the child's disappearance that had made it easy for Auros to find her among the multitude of stars, but she wasn't going to pry into her niece's mind. The child had had more than enough of that in her young life already. Ineira would talk in her own time.

 

"Apparently." Scribble, scribble went the crayon furiously across the paper.

 

"I think he found you through the Force, and I would like to take you to a place where you can better hide, and perhaps even learn to defend yourself if you'd like." Xae could still hear the call in the Force growing so strong it was getting harder to legitimize ignoring it. "I am returning to the Jedi Order, I would like you to come with me this time."

 

"And the Bird Lady?" she asked, a bit of natural curiosity creeping into her voice.

 

"Trushaun is my student, for the time being; so yes, you would be coming with us both. I know that there will be other children your age that are like you."

 

Stubborn as any Ardel, Ineira responded, "I don't suppose I have a choice, do I?"

 

"As your legal guardian, I don't suppose that you do, but I won't force you to leave, but it would mean finding someone else to watch you, and your father is not dead. I would rather have you close to me."

 

The answer seemed good enough for the girl who had put down the drawing implement and had began to pack her things as Xae helped.

 

After a while the two met Trushaun outside, where several of the other Mando'ade had gathered in their distinctive armor. Xae raised her hand to greet the eldest, "Tsikala is now shi taab'echaaj'la. She died fighting the man who had stolen Ineira. He is still in the forest, though severely incapacitated."

 

"You Jetiise never have had the stomach for killing have you?" he responded, eliciting a laugh from the others.

 

Xae, as unflappable as always, simply responded. "It is not the Jedi way to kill an unarmed opponent. He was neutralized as a threat, and I would not deny you your right to try him."

 

The elder Mandalorian shook his head, but lead the others into the forest in search of the man.

 

While Xae had been relaying the information about Tsikala's death and Auros to the village protectors, Ineira had come over to the Fosh and reached up, taking the clawed hand of the Padawan, holding her sketch book in the other, and looked defiantly at her aunt, who merely nodded in return. Xae fully understood that the child was feeling the need to exercise her own will after having it stolen from her for who knows how long, and if choosing Trushaun over Xae was how she was choosing to do it for the moment, then Xae was content to let her. There was no harm in it after all.

 

Xae shouldered the pack of Ineira's things and addressed her Padawan, "I know you've felt the call and now is the time that we answer it. Think you're up to piloting the Cabur?"

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Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

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Feeling well rested and fine, the Humanoid Bird fell back in the grass. It was a pleasant feel. She almost fell asleep in the grass. Everything was so peaceful. She couldnt wait to be back with her people, and save their planet. They were depending on her, but now, so was Xae-Lin. Now she felt a pang of regret for leaving her people. But she had her task in life... A single tear rolled down her face and into the grass. She opened her eyes just in time to see the grass spout up fast.

 

She still had much to learn...

 

Jumping up as Xae came out, she watched her master walk from person to person. She was quite the popular person. But then again, she used to be a Mando. Heck, she still was at heart. The young jedi was still naive to most of the galaxy. To better understand the Mando's she would have to stay with them. As an exotic species, she doubt they would. No matter. She had a people. The Fosh. The Jedi.

 

The calling felt stronger towards the Jedi when her masters hand found her shoulder. She felt more accepted now. She smiled. Then Xae fetched the child from inside, the young girl clasped Trushauns claw. It was weird, but it must be a human practice.

 

"I watched you on the way in." Using the word "I" for the first time, instead of referring to herself in the third person. It was another struggle of Basic. "I will try my best."

 

She looked at Xae and smiled.

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Xae smiled, nodding once. "Good. Lead the way," she gestured towards the direction that they'd left the ship.

 

Somehow she got the feeling that this was likely one of the last times that she was going to be among John's people. Her time spent with him was the closest that she'd ever felt to having a home. Now she knew without a doubt that her place was with the Jedi Order.

 

"Let's see what's calling us home."

 

((Post here, then post in the Space thread, I'll handle our arrival post on Tython))

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Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

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"Very well." Trushaun walked the trio to the ship. Climbing aboard, she assisted the child as she was escorted to a seat. Making sure the child was comfortable. The Fosh oriented herself with the controls, this was still very new to her. But she got it. Lifting off, the trio blasted into space.

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  • 2 years later...

Tros watched from the cockpit of his own ship, Orar, as the starline streaked back into the familiar sight of Concord Dawn before him. On the surface was an old farm house that the Ardell clan owned for sometime, although rarely used. after leaving Haruun Kal, Tros felt a strong need to reconnect to his past, to discover whether or not the claims were true against his buir. He had now come to a calmer mind through the travel, yet it seemed so fresh within his mind the possibility that he struggled to come to terms of his own buir would ever be associated with the Kyr'tsad. But there was just nothing he could do about it without seeing proof for himself. So that was what he choose to do. Return home and see if any of the clues could be found there. Bringing his ship down for a landing, he make a quick withdraw from the vessel, partially due to an urgency to discover the truth, but mainly out of old habit. He could remember the trips to the farm with his buir and his vod, Reilla.

 

Almost as soon as Tros walked through the door, he could see right before him the Resol'nare written and hung at first sight. The read was something he had learned from such a young age, as well as his vod. It read, 'Education and armor, self-defense, our tribe, our language, our leader—all help us survive.'. He found it a bit ironic that anyone within the Kyr'tsad could follow it when the tribe is built heavily around Mand'alor and the way he choose to lead. Granted, Tros had never met the man, nor did he know who he was. The last Mand'alor that he knew was Vihk, who had died or passed the title along to someone else. Rumor had it that a Mando by the name of Fett knew something about Vihk and who was passed the title. Granted, he could always just make the short travel to Manda'yaim and discover through the word of mouth who was Mand'alor now. But with the rumors being so strong of the Kyr'tsad being a strong presence, Tros would not travel without a stronger purpose or cause. For now, he would discover things in his own childhood home. Hopefully he would be able to hold to his jate'kara and discover something while on Concord Dawn.

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Tros spent a few hours searching through old files and boxes filled with stuff trying to find any lead that he could that would help him in his next step. He seemed so lost without having a mission at hand, or a bounty to go after. Carefully picking up a few things that he thought would be important to check up on later, such as a file that read Past Life, Tros took of for Coruscant and the CoreSec HQ. If nothing else, he would return to his last mission that he knew. To find Mand'alor. And the only person or lead he had was a vod by the name of Fett. He then packed up and prepared Orar for lifted off and then was gone.

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  • 3 years later...

Something had happened over the past few months. Tros wasn't sure exactly what had al happened, nor was he fully aware of how he even got back to Concord Dawn. He would have much rather have been back at the home base of Clan Ardell, which resided on Shogun. But instead, he was not. His vod were here, aliit was here, anade was here. But most importantly of all, ori'vod was here. They were here for the sole purpose of aay'han ori'vod. Riella had died, a moment in time that Tros would have very much liked to have never gone through. His last true kin. Or at least, the very last that he would acknowledge. With the passing of his vod, and having already lost his mother early in life and him disowning his dar'buir, Tros was now alone with just Brexton, his adopted older brother.

 

Having traveled from Bogden back to Concord Dawn, Tros could do nothing but stand and stare into the flames as they consumed Riella's body. He was wearing his beskar'gam, but his buy'ce was in the hands Tros. Part of him refused to look at it. As the heat grew stronger and began to fully consume Riella, all who came to the funeral began to break out in Vode An... all except for Tros. He still found himself staring at the flames and his ori'vod upon the slab that was consumed with a fire so hot, every blacksmith would be jealous not to use it for their own purpose. The chant of Vode An began to take his own ears lose focus and instead he was now able to look at the buy'ce he held within his hands. He now spoke quietly to no one in particular.

 

"Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la.... Ret'urcye mhi."

 

He lingered a bit as the rest of those gather marched back towards the drinking hole, still chanting Vode An. They would share their memories, drink heavily until all if not most were drunk by the midnight hour. Tros didn't feel like going with hem. He allowed for them to move along before began to walk towards the small hut looking house that would have been Riella's. As the noise of the crowd began to lower, Tros came to the house and entered it. Inside it looked almost the exact same way that it had every time that his ori'vod would transmit to him. The bed, the communications devices, the large database computer that Riella spent hours working on. It was nostalgic for him to just be in the room, hoping to hear Riella's voice behind him.

 

"Tion'ad hukaat'kama?"

 

The voice was not Riella's. It was Brexton, who stood inside the door way looking over the room. His dark grey eyes darted from one side of the room to the other as he took it all in himself. Tros couldn't help but acknowledge that both relied heavily upon Riella during their times running around the galaxy as beroyas. Slowly nodding, Tros still didn't say much. It was partly his personality that he had. Both Brexton and Riella always told him he got this from his mom. The slow nod was enough for Brexton to smile at before he continued.

 

"You know that Riella had many things that he kept from you. Most involving your buir. He always told me that there would be one day that you would have no choice but come face to face with who he was. So to keeping with my own promises as your vod, allow for me to give you this. It's a token from him. Riella wanted you to have it.... And Tros... Mando'ad draar digu."

 

With that, Brexton left the house to Tros to be alone in. The token sat upon Riella's bed, and weird looking thing it was. Tros never moved for it, nor tok his eyes off of it. Instead, he continued to hold Riella's buy'ce in his left hand and just stare at the room... Time would allow for him to move soon, but until then, he needed time to recover from the galaxy's fateful hand at the moment...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just outside of the Mandalore sector a rather beat-up HWK-290 class vessel emerged from hyperspace. Freshly re-dubbed the T’ad Kebbur, it hailed sector traffic control with it’s approach to the primarily farm-world of Concord Dawn.

 

The young woman at it’s helm seemed to visibly relax the second she saw the familiar spinning planet. Though Concord Dawn had never truly been “home” for her, it was where much of her surviving family had put down roots.

 

From above, it hardly seemed as though six years had passed since she’d last left it surface. Nervous excitement formed in the pit of her stomach as she laid in a course for the planet’s surface based on the instructions fed to her through the traffic controller.

 

Glancing at the man to her left she wondered how things would play out on the surface. Her aunt, Laesha, would likely expect to host them, if her son, Taen, had even bothered to tell her that Mirdala was en route. It would be the first time that she’d brought an outsider to meet them.

 

I never even introduced them to Tracyn, she thought to herself. Shouldn’t that have been a red beacon about our relationship?

 

She checked the chrono to see about when they’d be touching down and pinged their ETA to the Sector Protector Command before rising to head towards the back of the ship, trusting Kandor to take over. The rest of the previous “night” she’d spent fiddling with the ships systems, trying to clear her head and glean some meaning from the vicious dreams that seemed to haunt her as of late. She wanted to catch a quick sanisteam and armor up before they landed.

 

--------------------------------

 

The planet was mostly made up of farmland, being one of the sector’s primary breadbaskets. However it wasn’t without the occasional city and bustling spaceport. The T’ad Kebbur set down in its designated berth in the capital city of Dawn and lowered its ramps.

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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Finalizing their approach and bringing them in for a landing, Kandor considered Concord Dawn. Although the frontier world was important to Mandalorians due to its critical role in the Mandalorian Civil War and the prevalence of the Journeyman Protectors, which had had several notable members, Fett had never made his way here personally. Maybe there just hadn't been credits out here, or perhaps the Journeyman Protectors were too good at their jobs for there to be any use for a beroya. Now, however, he could admit that he had some interest in seeing the planet, and it was just as well that Mirdala's and his paths should find them here.

 

The two of them disembarked, Vi'ika bringing up the rear, and set out for the precinct so that Mirdala could check in. As they walked, Fett looked around the city as with new eyes. The refitted beskar'gam not only literally gave him a different visual layout than he was used to, but it also made him tremendously less... conspicuous. Even less so than he was on Manda'yaim. This place, however, was not particularly like the Mandalorian capital. It was much more rural, even here in the capital. Manda'yaim was more like a big dustball, but Keldabe, as small as it was compared to most planetary capitals, still dwarfed Dawn.

 

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Protector HQ. For now, Fett decided he would simply follow Mirdala's lead and be observant. He hoped in particular to get a good read on Taen Ad'Nort; the man's attitude would have a significant bearing on how easy it would be for them to pursue the answers they were looking for.

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The headquarters building was simple, a far cry from the facilities they’d had at CoreSec, but still effective nonetheless. Mirdala removed her helmet as she mounted the steps. It had been a long time since she’d crossed this particular threshold.

 

Not much had changed beyond the faces. A few of them glanced up at her from their desks but continued about whatever work they were doing.

 

She was about to address what passed for the main desk clerk, when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder and found herself looking into a familiar face. “Reska!”

 

The Kiffari woman clasped her arm in greeting. “I was just on my way out when I thought I’d recognized at least some of that rig. It’s been a long time Mirdala.” She nodded, acknowledging the man standing behind Mirdala and extended her hand to him as well. “Reska Ad’Nort, Concord Dawn Senior Protector.”

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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Fett removed his buy'ce at the same time Mirdala removed hers and immediately felt exposed. He was making a concerted effort to let his barriers down, but there was a big step between no one ever seeing his face and showing it out in public -- much less feeling comfortable while doing so. But there was nothing to hide here, and the reasons he'd always held fast to his privacy were disappearing. Besides... even with the buy'ce off, no one would have any inkling who he was, even if he introduced himself by name. The only thing that would connect him to Mand'alor was a beskar'gam he wasn't wearing and a moniker he wouldn't use.

 

He returned Reska's handshake. She was about middle-aged, near human but definitely Kiffar. Thankfully when he'd read over Taen's profile the previous night he'd picked up on who she was. "Kandor Nor'an," he responded. Best not to help anyone make the connection, as it wouldn't do any favors to the low profile he was trying to keep. "Nice to meet you. You must be Taen's riduur. Is he in?"

 

Reska glanced at the man behind the desk, who nodded, then looked at Mirdala. "I'll let him know you've arrived, Constable Ad'Goran."

 

The pair quickly set off through the sizable HQ, but the Sector Protector's office wasn't deep inside. When they arrived, Fett stepped aside to let Mirdala enter first, intending to be a step behind her.

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Mirdala glanced at Kandor for a moment, not surprised in the least that he’d done his research. It was a little unsettling to realize how much information might be out there about the Ad’Norts and not everyone was as trust worthy as Kandor to seek out the information.

 

Reska left them shortly once Taen’s office came into view. If she still worked the shifts she had when Mirdala was a teenager, she was likely heading home after her shift. She felt the other woman nudge her empathically before disappearing around the corner.

 

Mirdala was a about to step into Taen’s office when she heard a familiar voice behind her. “Oh Saints! It is true! You’re back! You’re really home!”

 

A blue Twi’lek in a standard protector rig rounded the corner and excitedly embraced Mirdala who returned the hug in a dazed manner.

 

“Protector Silvar,” a gruff voice answered from the doorway. “Have you got the reports I’d asked for? And do release the Constable. You two will have plenty of time to catch up off duty.”

 

Laughing the blue woman released her friend. “Sorry sir. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one another. Here are the reports you requested.” She handed over a data pad, her smile hadn’t diminished a bit and her lekku twitched happily.

 

“That will be all, Silvar, thank you,” Taen waved her off. “The Constable and I have some important matters to discuss regarding her assignment. And you,” he addressed Kandor, “may wait here."

 

Having finally recovered enough from the surprise of seeing her enthusiastic friend again, Mirdala finally managed to find her voice. “With respect, sir. I would like my partner to hear what we have to discuss. He is willing to help if you’re willing to let him."

 

The Twi’lek protector continued to linger for a moment longer, giving Kandor an appraising look before Taen’s glance sent her darting back to her desk further down the corridor.

 

The large man’s jaw clenched as he weighed her request, giving Kandor an assessment of his own. “Very well, Captain. You may join us. Understand that CoreSec has no jurisdiction here and I won’t have my people disrupted. If you feel you can work within those parameters and any others she or I layout for you, then you are welcome to join us.”

 

Taen Ad’Nort retreated back into his office, wondering what his cousin had in mind when she’d decided to involve him.

 

When the three of them had sat down, he slid something across the desk to her. She caught it and when she lifted her hand saw that it was the chest diamond of the rig that Hwulf wore when he was acting as a Protector during his down time as a Seeker. “Dad wanted you to have that. Said to make sure you got it if you ever came back. I know that none of us left things between us the way we’d wanted. Now, more than ever, is the time to bond as a family again.”

 

Mirdala looked at the armor piece before tucking it in one of her waist pouches as she nodded her agreement. “I want to know what happened to my parents, to find out why they really died."

 

Taen looked across the desk from her to Kandor. “I can’t let you do that."

 

“I have a right-,” she started to protest.

 

“No. You don’t. As it is an on-going investigation I can’t let you be involved. You were a victim."

 

“I’m not fourteen any more Taen and don’t bullshit me it’s a cold case at best…I’ll pursue my own investigation if I have to.”

 

“You’re acting like it,” he remarked frankly. “Besides, I need your help on bigger issues - like finding out who’s behind the attacks on the Seekers."

 

Mirdala’s glare could have stripped the paint from his armor, but she held her tongue as she reminded herself she was speaking to a superior officer as much as she was her cousin. “Fine."

 

Taen raised an eyebrow, somewhat suspicious of how quickly she’d given in to the argument.

 

Sliding the data pad over to her he explained,” That data pad contains all of the information that I have on the Fallen, including TeVerd, Carid, and my father. This file is for your - and your partners' - eyes only. It seems that you’ll have plenty of help considering that I’ve assigned another two your team, both on loan from the Corellian sector.”

 

He glanced again at Kandor, as though he still wasn’t quite sure how far to trust the man. His cousin hadn’t had the best judgement as far as he was concerned in hunt partners, TeVerd included.

 

He still blamed TeVerd for taking his father from him, even though Taen knew TeVerd wouldn’t have asked had it not been absolutely necessary. TeVerd’s bond with the woman in front of him had been strong and part of him wondered if she hadn’t been looking for someone to replace him instead of finding her own way. Just because he’d never been that close with her, didn’t mean he didn’t care for her as family.

 

“Taen,” Mirdala said thoughtfully, “You told me that the Seekers have been being hunted more aggressively in the last several years. Do you recall when that started?”

 

Glad that she’d decided to shift her mind to her assigned task rather than continue to fight with him on a subject he wasn’t willing to budge on for her own good, he thought for a moment before answering her. “Close to eight years ago. Why?"

 

Something deep within Mirdala resonated as she glanced back towards Kandor, “Do you remember what happened around here just before you started having Seekers shipped to your door step? The incident that got me reassigned across planet with Micah Belfort?"

 

Taen’s short, tan fur darkened ever so slightly around his cheeks and his gold eyes grew brighter before he responded. “I doubt either of us could forget the demagolka in our own backyard, Mird’ika. What are you suggesting? What is that gut of yours telling you?”

 

“It’s just theory at this point, but I’m wondering if that incident became the catalyst for what’s going on now."

 

“There were no indications of an accomplice or apprentice,” he remarked. “And no, you can’t have those records either. They are sealed to you.” His voice grew quiet, “Besides, we both know that the official record is less than accurate to protect exposing you. It’s not even logged in the system."

 

Mirdala frowned. “You really want to make this easy for me don’t you?"

 

“When have I ever?”

 

“Fair point,” she admitted.

 

“You and your team, including the Captain here apparently, report directly to me. No one outside your team is to know about your assignment, understand?” There was something odd about his tone that she picked up on. She reached into one of her belt pouches and pulled out a small “screamer” designed to scan for and neutralize any signals coming from bugs within the room.

 

Taen looked at her levelly. “I completed a sweep just before you arrived, but a wise precaution. The outside world has made you more paranoid than TeVerd did.”

 

When she didn’t respond, he continued. “It’s just as well. I seem to have found myself suspecting my own people of orchestrating events that got your brother and my father killed, among the other Seekers. I was happy that you contacted me when you did about coming back, and not just to have you safely home again.”

 

Mirdala’s eyes narrowed as she looked back towards the door, the horror that one of their own could be helping whoever was hunting her family and the remaining Seekers evident on her face. As she glanced back to Taen’s grim face, she suddenly understood how bad things had gotten. “That’s why you’ve got Briia as your assistant…"

 

“And my wife working the opposite shift of mine. The list of people I know I can trust implicitly seems to grow shorter every time I turn around. Silvar may be a bit of an acquired taste, but she gets the job done and, more importantly, is fiercely loyal to the Protectors and to Concord Dawn. Two of that list are on your team. You,” he indicated Kandor with a wave of his massive hand, “are only here because she’s vouched for you, not because you are Manda’lor.”

 

It hadn’t been that far of a logical leap to piece together Kandor’s identity, considering Taen had been told by Mirdala, herself, that she was bringing her former CoreSec partner with her. “Your secret is safe with me, Captain, especially since you’re not running about in the armor that everyone knows you for.”

 

He rose from the desk nodding them towards the door. “Mom is expecting you for lunch and to stay with her if you don’t want to stay at your ba’buir’s old place since it’s been empty since she passed. Silvar offered as well. You officially start tomorrow. Dismissed."

 

Mirdala nodded and tucked the data pad within her jacket pocket as she rose to leave. “Thank you Taen."

 

“Don’t thank me yet Constable,” he said quietly as she headed back down the hall only to be joined by the tall blue Twi'lek.

 

"Captain, a word?” he addressed Kandor just before the other man moved to follow the young woman.

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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Fett's face remained so neutral throughout the exchange that he might as well have been wearing his buy'ce. His eyes were active, however, studying both Taen and Mirdala in an attempt to read the subtext of the conversation they were having based on what she had told him and his own experience.

 

He had to admit, Taen was more imposing in person than the holos he'd seen in the report. At seven feet tall and with a powerful build, the man had fur and a subtle snout that made him look about halfway between a Bothan and a human. He looked to be around Fett's age, but from what Mirdala had said he had to be older, and his stern voice and commanding presence reinforced that. It was also abundantly clear that Mirdala respected him and didn't put up a fight when he refused to assign her to the case she'd been hoping to get, although it was also possible that she'd already realized that his conclusion was the correct one. Fett found it to be very sensible, but ultimately impractical. Mirdala was too headstrong to stay away from getting the answers she needed, and restricting her access to relevant records while assigning her to a different case which may end up being tangentially related looked good from a policy standpoint but might end up putting her in danger by keeping them in the dark.

 

When Taen asked him to remain for a moment, Fett nodded. He had expected the Sector Protector to know who he was because of what Mirdala had told him. Whether that would help matters or not perhaps depended on what other choice pieces of information she'd told him. At the very least Taen would know what Fett had done to the Kyr'tsad on Manda'yaim and have a sense of what kind of verd he was.

 

"Kandor is fine. I'm not CoreSec when I'm out here," he said once the door had closed. He had some things he wanted to address with Taen with Mirdala not around, but figured first he'd see what the other man had to say. "What do you need?"

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Taen nodded. "Your reputation proceeds you, as, more importantly, does word of your actions against the new spring up of Death Watch.” He leaned casually against the desk, which was likely bolted down, otherwise it would have shifted due to his size.

 

Meeting Kandor's eyes he added, "I know my cousin well enough that this isn't the last I'll hear about her parents' murders or the incident with the errant Force-user.” He sighed. “As her former CO and current and past partner, what’s your assessment of her?”

 

He was loathe to admit it, but Taen knew very little of the woman his former charge had become and that thought worried him more than a little. Throughout their discussion he’d been discretely probing her within the empathic bond and had noticed several scars within her signature. He could sense recent healing, but the amount and depth worried him.

 

There had been something else as well, he’d sensed it most when she’d spoken up to have Kandor present for their discussion. "You do understand the amount of faith she's placing in you as her partner, right?”

 

He knew how closely she’d tended to bond with those she’d fought beside, both empathic and not. She’d been burned more than once, but the fact she hadn’t abandoned the idea of a partner completely meant that she wasn’t as dead-set on emulating TeVerd’s path as he’d once feared. "It's not lightly we let outsiders in, especially on matters such as these. I hope, for all our sakes that trust is not misplaced."

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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Fett approved of Taen's tact and intention both. The Sector Protector wanted what was best for Mirdala, even if it wasn't what she thought she wanted, while being responsible for her well being as he was for anyone under his command. It was sometimes a difficult line to walk, and one which Fett knew well himself.

 

"She's too close to this and she knows it," he answered. "It's both why she didn't argue and why she asked me to come along in the first place. Just the same, she won't be able to stay away from it, and I believe the two investigations may well be linked somehow." He stared past Taen, recalling the past few days since they'd reconciled. "It's taking a heavy toll on her, especially with so much happening just after the incident on Tatooine."

 

Kandor brought his eyes back to meet Taen's. "I have nothing but your cousin's best interests in mind -- I'm here only to lend her support," he assured the other man. If we couldn't trust each other, we'd both be dead, he added mentally. "Especially if the investigations are linked, it may put her in danger to be missing the important pieces. You have good reasons I agree with for keeping her an arms' length from the case regarding her buire, but I submit for your consideration giving me access to the case files for my review only to be shared with her at such a time as it becomes strictly necessary."

 

It was, of course, asking Taen to trust him based on very little. But perhaps some combination of Mirdala's trust by proxy, his reputation, and the practicality of the proposal would be sufficient.

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Taen considered the man before him for a moment before nodding. “You may be right. Mirdala’s instincts are rarely, if ever, wrong, I’ve found.” He reached behind him grabbing a data chit and plugging it into his data pad to key up the files from the Shogun investigation for download.

 

“Before I decide whether or not to hand over the files, tell me what happened on Tatooine. Other than the news of TeVerd’s and my father’s death, what else has happened to her that I should know about?” He was still navigating the fine line between family member and commanding officer and his tone conveyed it. “Before you answer, know that what’s said here is between us CO to CO.”

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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Kandor raised an eyebrow for an instant before returning to his passive expression. For some reason he'd assumed that Taen had known what happened. But then, public details were scarce to protect Mirdala's privacy, and there was good enough reason for her not to spread around what had happened even among her aliit. That'd be a hell of a conversation to have.

 

He paused for a moment before answering, visibly considering his words. It wasn't a comfortable topic for him, either. "During a routine patrol she was captured by Thalassian slavers working for a Gamorrean named Uhalu. She was kept drugged and physically abused for about two weeks before I managed to catch up and put an end to it," he said. His tone turned deadly at the end, making it clear that the organization no longer existed. "She wasn't out of the hospital long enough before she was back on duty and we were hunting dar'jetiise, which was particularly unfortunate for reasons I didn't understand at the time. She lost a friend that had helped her get through the slaver ordeal in that time, and then the Senate bombing happened and information regarding the Sivaaras started coming out. Put TeVerd and your buir on top of that and she hasn't caught a break."

 

Fett held his gaze and his tone was stern. "It's too much for anyone, but she's coping," he continued. "She's back and she won't stop until she gets answers, and I'm going to do whatever I need to help her get them." He wanted to be clear on that point. He'd love to have Taen on his side and start to build a positive relationship with Mirdala's aliit, but that goal wasn't priority number one.

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The sudden brightening of his eyes as his secondary lenses engaged and the clenching of his jaw, were the only outward signs of his reaction to the news of what had befallen his cousin. It had been under his watch, albeit indirectly, that she’d left, even though he knew better than to think he could have kept her in the sector forever when they both knew that TeVerd was out in the galaxy somewhere.

 

“News of the Thalassian raids and CoreSec’s involvement had reached this sector. The HNE conference was the first time any of us had any inkling that she was still out there and alive,” his tone was carefully controlled as though he was filing away the information. “That kid’s always been a survivor, no matter what’s been thrown at her.” His eyes had returned to normal, but his jaw was still set.

 

“As her partner, let alone her CO, can you tell me why you allowed her back into the field so soon after being hospitalized?”

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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It was no great surprise that Taen called him out on returning Mirdala to active duty so quickly. The Sector Protector had significantly more leadership experience than the traditionally Lone Wolf ShadowFett.

 

But he'd accepted his mistake and would own up to it. "I was a poor judge of her status," he answered. "There were signs of her instability, but she insisted she was fine and I took her word for it rather than have her evaluated. It was a mistake that could have been very costly." It very nearly had been. He hadn't realized it at the time, but it was a significant contributing issue to the horde of them that had culminated in her departure from CoreSec. He supposed it had in many ways been inevitable, he just wished there had been an easier way to learn that particular lesson.

 

"It's in the past, an object lesson on leading a traat'aliit," he said, reeling them back in to the moment and the reason this meeting was taking place. "Right now she doesn't need time, she needs answers."

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His admission and answer seemed to satisfy Taen for the moment as he reached behind him for the data chit that now contained the whole of the investigation concerning the Ad’Goran’s murders on Shogun. “This has everything we have regarding the investigation into her parents’ murders on Shogun. I wish you better luck than we had."

 

He tossed the other man the small item. “The other files you requested weren’t cataloged in the main system, mainly to protect her. I know you can understand why.” Taen already had gleaned enough from Mirdala to know that Kandor knew she was Force-sensitive. “Give me some time and I’ll get you access, but you’ll have to come here and the files will remain here. Protector Silvar will contact you with details. I trust you can find your way back out?”

 

Taen knew it wasn’t his business who his cousin decided to let into her life and doubted that Kandor truly cared about getting Taen’s approval. Thankfully Mirdala was no longer Kandor’s subordinate, so the Sector Protector didn’t feel the need to broach that particular subject with the CoreSec Captain.

 

-------------------

 

As the door to Taen’s office opened, Mirdala turned from her conversation with the blue Twi’lek. “Don’t tell me, you just became the proud participant in one of Taen’s 'Frank and Honest’ discussions,” she frowned. She’d felt Taen’s emotional spikes and had strongly considered stepping in, but Briia had managed to grab her and had begun chattering away.

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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Kandor nodded. "Understood," he said, dropping the data chip in a belt pouch for safe keeping. "Vor'e, Sector Protector." Ordinarily he would immediately plug the chip into his buy'ce and upload it to 2277 to begin analysis, but he didn't want to have to transmit classified data through the T’ad Kebbur and all the way to the Enigma -- there were too many relays and he couldn't guarantee that each one was sufficiently secure. He'd need to wait for better conditions or just do the analysis himself and be careful not to miss anything.

 

He exited to find Mirdala still chatting with the Twi'lek that had ambushed them outside -- Constable Silvar, apparently. It was obvious that she and Mirdala knew each other well. He allowed himself a smile. "Yeah, he was 'Frank' and I was 'Honest'," he answered. He looked at the Twi'lek. "Silvar, right? I take it you two go back a ways?"

 

Fett supposed he was going to have to get used to socializing for a while. It wasn't that he had a particular dislike for meeting new people, and he was generally interested in the people who had played roles in Mirdala's past, into the upbringing that had been so different from his own. But it took a certain type of effort, an expenditure of energy, to project and maintain himself socially that was to him much more exhausting than actual field work. It was worth it in this case, especially since he could be working closely with some of these people, but they had a lot of work to do and now he was sitting on a pile of unmined data to look through.

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“That sounds about right,” Mirdala remarked studying him for clues of what the two of them had spoken about, but decided that he’d share the experience later if he felt like it. Whatever Taen had said to him, she knew Kandor well enough to know there was little that could deter him from what ever path he chose.

 

Briia, for her part, enthusiastically shook his hand. “Journeyman Protector Briia Silvar. Since you’re a friend of Mirdala’s, you can call me Briia though.” She elbowed her friend who fixed her with a less than amused look. “I’ve known Mirdala for as long as she’s been on Concord Dawn. We were bunkmates in training.”

 

“And she’s been one of my best friends ever since,” Mirdala interjected before the Twi’lek could launch into more elaborate and embellished details. She was grateful when Briia's desk com beeped.

 

"Sorry, duty calls. We'll catch up some more later. You can tell me all about working on Corrie," Briia winked at the two of them and disappeared to her desk.

 

Mirdala led him out of the station and back to their ship. Powering it up she set course, not for the Ad'Nort's sted but for Taen's sisters shop. She knew of no one better to help with the work they needed done on the vessel than Vannae.

 

The trip wasn’t long, considering their stop was on the same continent, just much further north of Dawn.

 

As they touched down the shop owner came out to examine who’d been crazy enough to pilot the particular rust-bucket that was now in her shop yard.

 

When Mirdala had made her way down the boarding ramp, the Arkanian-offshoot woman ran forward to embrace her, before looking up at the ship disapprovingly. “I could have sworn I’d taught you better, Mird’ika…”

 

“Not mine originally,” the raven-haired woman said returning the hug with as much enthusiasm. “Besides, I know how much you enjoy a good project.”

 

The white-haired woman laughed heartily as she nodded at the other figure that had emerged from the ship. “That I do! You must be Kandor.”

 

“I take it you’ve spoken with Reska, then?” Mirdala filled in the blanks.

 

Vannae nodded extending her hand to Kandor. “You can’t keep anything quiet in this family. Especially any news about someone none of us have seen in six years. Vannae Ad’Nort, my shop is your shop."

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Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya. - "Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger."

“A Mandalorian woman's greatest talent is not her charm or beauty, but her strength of body and will.” - Mandalorian proverb

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Briia Silvar, Protector training bunkmate, check, Fett thought before being whisked off back to the ship. He assumed at first they were going to the Ad'Nort steading, since Mirdala had mentioned they would be staying with Laesha, Taen's surviving buir and Mirdala's aunt. But when they arrived, another tall, striking, white-skinned near-Arkanian dala emerged that was clearly an Ad'Nort but looked too young to be Laesha, so he immediately pegged her as Taen's vod.

 

When she introduced herself, he returned the handshake and added her to his mental checklist. Vannae Ad'Nort, Taen's vod, Hwulf's and Laesha's ad. Another cousin. Check.

 

"Right you are. Pleased to be here," he answered, putting together why Mirdala had brought them here. He gestured to the ship. "We managed to get the old 290 operational but not much beyond that. I'm afraid it didn't see much use for a few years."

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