#Jango Fett and Walon Vau

[cienie-isengardu]

Jango Fett and Walon Vau: Galidraan and its consequences

For @delkios, sorry it took me so long to finish this part!

Previous parts: Age Difference & Childhood Trauma & < The Laws, Orders, Jaster Mereel and True Mandalorians (pre-Galidraan)>

With no doubt, Galidraan is the breaking point, both in the history of True Mandalorians and the personal relationship between Jango Fett and Walon Vau.

The Mandalorians under Jango’s leadership spent 8 years looking for Death Watch and their search led them to Galidraan. Hired by the governor of the planet, Mandalorians suppressed the insurrection

[source - Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue #3]

and in return Jango demanded the location of his enemy, Tor Vizsla,

[source - Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue #3]

but as it turned out, Fett and his people walked into a trap. Governor of Galidraan worked for Vizsla and on the man’s order, begged the Jedi Order to aid him against True Mandalorians under false accusation. 

[source - Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue #3]

When the Jedi approached Fett’s men, Jango ordered an attack that finally led to massacre. Fett was the sole Mandalorian survivor and after being turned over to governor, he was sold in slavery at the age of 22. He spent a few years as a slave until a pirate attack gave Jango an opportunity to free himself, then came back to Galidraan to retrieve usurped armor. Soon after that he found and killed Tor Vizsla. Instead of coming back to Mandalorians, he decided to go into bounty hunting.

As was mentioned in the previous part, various people, with emphasis on Jango’s own men, did not have a good opinion about Fett. He was called “a disgrace”, “unhinged”, “self-centered” and "selfish" among other things, while sources presented him in general as a loner.  Of course, years spent on Kamino and creation of clone army did affect Mandalorians’ memory of Jango however as tie-in material says, despite the reputation of selfish loner, Jango in fact considered True Mandalorians as his adoptive family and death of his comrades affected him deeply.

Fact Files, issue 22

“Forgotten amongst the carnage was the young man who had arrived a stranger, but now carried with him the remnants of a group he had come to call his own. Jango was turned over to the people of Galidraan, who made him a slave. He eventually escaped, retaining the helmet and armor that he proudly worn when fought alongside his peers. He had been robbed of a family for a second time - from now on the bounty hunter’s mission would be one of self-preservation.”

Fact Files vol. 3, issue 14

“His vow of revenge fulfilled, bereft of family and purpose and with little else calling on him, Jango traded on his considerable martial skills and became a bounty hunter. [...] Bounty hunting was not enough, however, to fill the empty hole in his life.”

And the most telling itself evidence is the fact that Jango Fett took part in Darth Sidious and Darth Tyrannus’ plan to destroy Jedi Order with army cloned from his own DNA:

Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue #4

Dooku: [...] I have no doubt that your clones will be the most formidable soldiers the galaxy has ever known. In time, they will be instrumental in the destruction of the Jedi. Jango: That's what I'm counting on... [...]

Republic Commando: Order 66

Vau straightened up. "You never liked Jango, did you?" "I liked him enough. What I didn't like was how he ended up. Jango never gave a toss about anyone but himself. Some Mandalore he turned out to be-he was always away in the latter years, and he was as bad as the Jedi when it came to turning a blind eye to what was happening to his clones. No, Shysa's a fool if he thinks a Fett dynasty is good for Manda'yaim. We're better off without him." "You reckon?" "I do. Sorry, but I do. You suddenly his best mate or something?" Vau suddenly grabbed Skirata by the collar. Shab, he was strong; he almost lifted Skirata bodily as he shoved him against the bulkhead. They'd brawled many times, drawn blood, come close to killing each other, but Skirata had never seen Vau lose his temper, not once. And that was enough to stun him into silence. "Now do you see? Do you?" Vau hissed the sibilant like escaping steam. Mird cowered on the floor, whining softly. "I'm sick to death of your sentimental twaddle about Jango betraying us by letting Kamino use his genes. He did it to stop the Jedi. He did it to create an army strong enough to bring them down. You drone on about the injustice of unelected elites, my little working-class hero-well, now they're gone. Yes, it cost our boys' lives, but the Jedi are gone, gone, gone. And they won't be killing Mandalorians again, not for a long time. Maybe never."

Additional Commentary: The same as for fallen True Mandalorians, Jango’s dedication to Jaster Mereel was not subdued with passing time:

Bounty Hunter game (2002)

Rozatta: "Ugh! I can't believe you're still flying that relic, Jango. Why don't you spend some of your hard-earned cash on a new ship?" Jango Fett: "Not a chance. She belonged to Jaster Mereel." Rozatta: "I know, I know, the Mandalorian soldier who took you under his wing. You ever think maybe you hang on to that ship—those memories—because you're looking for someone to take under your own wing?"

Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue 4 

Side note: Jango’s loyalty to Jaster Mereel was unshaken by years though it seems the desire to have an apprentice to pass Jaster’s legacy changed over time into a true sense of fatherhood - a fatherhood affected by Jango’s own trauma. 

Attack of the Clones novelization by R. A. Salvatore

Other than that, though, this was just a job, well paying and easy enough. Financially, he couldn’t have asked for more, but more important, only the Kaminoans could have given him Boba-not just a son, but an exact replica. Boba would give Jango the pleasure of seeing all that he might have become had he grown up with a loving and caring father, a mentor who cared enough to criticize, to force him to perfection. He was as good as it got concerning bounty hunters, concerning warriors, but he had no doubt that Boba, bred and trained for perfection, would far outshine him to become one of the greatest warriors the galaxy had ever known.

Despite Jango’s selfishness and lone nature, I think we may all agree losing his men on Galidraan is what ultimately defined his adult life. 

Now, let’s look at Walon Vau. There is no hard evidence why the Mandalorian did not take a part in Galidraan mission - my current theory, explained in previous part, is the possibility that Jango bent or even broke the moral principles of the previous leader in his quest of avenging Jaster Mereel’s death, a line that Vau refused to cross himself. Whether my theory is true or not, Walon didn’t show up on Galidraan, what saved his life, but he regretted that choice.

Republic Commando: Order 66

Vau didn’t meet Skirata’s eyes for a moment, but he glanced at Jusik. “I could have been at Galidraan, but I wasn’t, and I never forgot that. Not my fight. Should have been my fight.” “And you could have been dead, now, too. Bard'ika, if you don’t know-”

and

Vau shrugged. “I let him down once.” Vau would never shake off that feeling of having failed, the legacy of his vile father. He’d instilled it into his clones, despite himself. “But I never let him down again.”

The most interesting thing about Walon’s choice of words - the not my fight - is how he said a similar statement in next part of the series, the Imperial Commando: 501st, whose action takes place after Order 66 and Jedi Purge and the Mandalorian characters are forced to choose between helping Jedi survivors or not:

"They say half of his followers aren't even Force-sensitives," Jusik said. "And apparently thousands of Padawans trained at his academy-based onboard a ship. If he was really into power, we'd know all about it by now." "No wonder he got away," Skirata said. "Keep moving. Smart shabuir." "Are you taking any of this in?" Vau snapped. "Have you completely forgotten the last three years? The whole point of the war? Not Palpatine's war. Jango's war." Vau turned and stabbed a finger in Ordo's direction. "Why do you think he was created? To fill some emotional void in your sorry life? No. Jango did it to put an end to the Jedi because we can't trust them. We've never been able to trust them. He banked everything on letting Dooku use his DNA to build the only army that had a chance of taking these hut'uune down. And now you're talking about making concessions to them. You make me sick." "In case you hadn't noticed," Skirata said, suddenly unnaturally calm, "the winning side doesn't like us much, either. We're still under the heel of Force-users. Just one with a red lightsaber." "So why put us at risk? Why not just shoot Zey and have done with it? Kina Ha-that I can understand. She's a lab specimen. Scout-part of the package. But Zey? Let him go, and he'll search out his pals and try to rebuild the old Order. You don't need to do a deal with Altis to take them off your hands. You need a Verpine rifle and some guts." "Okay, mir'sheb, you go and finish them off. An old woman and a child. Ori'jagyc. Big man." "You think I wouldn't?" "If you don't-then what are we going to do with them?" "We get this far." Vau spread his arms. "We get this far. We finally get rid of the Jedi and its groveling lackeys. And what do you do? You help them survive and regroup. You, of all people. One minute you hate their guts and see them as the enemy, the next you go soft on them. Oldest trick in the book-put children and old folks and pitiful wrecks in the line of fire to shield a cowardly army. You know how we despise an enemy that tries to exploit that." "It's... not about that, Walon." Vau made a sweeping gesture of disgust. "If Fett were alive today, he'd spit on you, you know that? What did all those clones die for, Kal? So we could give the Jedi a second chance? Sheb'urcyin... aruetii." Butt-kisser. Traitor. Ordo waited for Skirata to swing a punch. He didn't. He just took it in silence. Vau turned and stalked off, snapping his fingers at Mird to follow him. Jusik shuffled his boots and looked embarrassed. "I think everyone revises history under stress," Jusik said. "He's forgotten that nobody knew Jango had set this up until the Purge happened. None of us had any idea what the clone army was really for, beyond something the Jedi Council didn't ask enough questions about." "He's right, though, isn't he?" Skirata still stood staring down at the floor. "I go out of my way to do the decent thing for Jedi. But I won't help my own Mand'alor." "You make it sound as if you had a plan that took account of all this, Buir," Ordo said. "Your only plan was to save as many of us as you could. You never set out to smash the Jedi Order, Fett did. It's a separate issue." [...] Jusik waited until Skirata was out of earshot and shrugged. "I hate it when they're both right. Come on. Better stand by to stop him throttling Zey." Vau had been far closer to Jango Fett than Skirata ever had. He understood-perhaps too late, but eventually-the depth of Fett's loathing of the Jedi. They'd cost Fett everything he held dear; the Death Watch had robbed him of more-a family and a surrogate father-but Fett still bided his time for years and saved his supreme act of revenge for the Jedi. That told Ordo everything. And you won, Jango. Shame you didn't live to see it.

In Republic Commando: True Colors, Walon himself admitted to having “little time for anyone else, regardless of species” with exception of Mird and clone troopers. The books made it clear he is an emotionally closed man, very detached to the point Etain compared his cold calmness to those of Jedi Masters. When it comes to Galidraan, he didn’t openly speak about missing any fallen comrade who died back then, only that he specifically failed Jango Fett.  

Side note: The only(?) Mandalorian from Vau’s past who was not Jango Fett nor connected to main heroes mentioned in book was his adoptive father:

Even I had a second father to adopt me … too late, maybe, but better than never… [Republic Commando: True Colors]

If adoptive father decided to go with Jango to Galidraan and died there, Vau would have another layer of guilt over not being there and to hate Death Watch. However the narration of Vau’s feelings about destroying the Jedi Order is still presented as “Jango’s war”. Considering how bond between father and son is very important in Mandalorian culture (especially the version spread by Kal Skirata), Vau rarely mentioned his adoptive father but we have three books in row (True Colors, Order 66 and Imperial Commando: 501st)  in which his thought are focused on Jango - how clones do not remind him the man , about Fett’s childhood, hate for Jedi and time in slavery, and even how Boba must feel now after losing a father.

The most interesting part is how the revenge on Tor Vizsla’s Death Watch and Jedi is framed as Jango’s war, not his and such narration doesn’t change even months after Jedi Purge. It is always Jango’s war, a battle Vau did not supported in the past but now will carry on Jango’s wish to destroy Jedi once and for good, as he argue against helping Jedi survivors - the children may not be count as the danger to Mandalorians by him, but he does not show much sympathy for a former Jedi General Zey which whom he worked quite closely in the past of two years. 

Vau’s loyalty to his former leader is surprising, as there were not so many people he openly cared about to this level. What is also worth to mention, Walon had no idea Jango’s part in creating Great Army of Republic was about revenge against Jedi, but from all Mandalorians hired by Fett, only he connected all the dots once Palpatine issued Order 66, what implies Vau may have the best understanding of the Jango's background, motivation and determination.

Republic Commando: Order 66

It was crowded in the small submarine. They all had cabins or bunk space, and Skirata wanted everyone to keep clear of the main crew deck, mainly because he was getting agitated with folks trying to keep out of his way. But also because he was worried about Vau. The old chakaar had taken the news about Sev in complete silence, not a twitch on his face, and that usually meant things within him were fermenting at an unhealthy rate. Vau stood leaning with one hand flat on the bulkhead the other tucked in his belt while he gazed down at his boots. Mird sat at his feet, staring intently into his face. Vau obviously wasn't looking at the strill. "Walon," Skirata said "can I do anything?" "I understand" Vau said quietly. "I actually get it. Shab, why didn't I see this coming?" His tone was so un-Vau-like that it got instant silence on the deck. "You want to talk?" Skirata asked. It was a lousy time. "What's the problem?" "Jango . . . Jango had patience. Jango could wait for eternity if he had to. And wayii, it seems he could wait after death, too."

Thanks to Kal Skirata, we know Vau was included in the project by Jango much earlier than the rest of hired Mandalorians:

Republic Commando: Order 66

"You never told me what you got up to on Kamino in the time before the rest of the Cuy'val Dar showed up,” Skirata said, trying to look as if he’d taken the outburst in stride. “So what else are you going to tell me?” Shab, they might not have been best buddies from birth, but they were as close as two Mando'ade could get. 

and actually Walon had some influence over Jango’s decisions in regard who should be hired:

Vau shrugged. “I let him down once.” Vau would never shake off that feeling of having failed, the legacy of his vile father. He’d instilled it into his clones, despite himself. “But I never let him down again.” “Don’t beat yourself up. I should have been at Galidraan, too.” “I know,” said Vau. “That’s why I chose you for the Cuy'val Dar.” Skirata grappled with the stomach-knotting realization that he really didn’t know Vau half as well as he thought he did. He chose me. Shab, he chose me. “Okay, Walon, answer me this, will you? No osik. Did Jango want me on the team?” “We discussed all personnel fully.” “Don’t talk like some shabla administrator to me. Did he want me?” Vau wavered for a moment. Outbursts and wavering in one night; it was all revelations. “You know Jango. He could get his downs on people, and then he’d see sense. Does it matter a shab now?”

We may not have a specific time frame when Jango Fett started trusting Walon Vau so much nor the reason for that, but without a doubt those two men shared a strong bond. At the same time, judging by Skirata’s words “You suddenly his best mate or something?” said to Vau in regard to his opinion about Jango suggests that either Kal didn’t notice their bond before and on Kamino or Jango and Walon did not flaunt much with their, if not friendship then at least professional working relationship. Both possibilities make sense, as Kal was at odds with Vau and Fett during the Kamino era so he could not care one way or another, while Jango and Walon were loners by nature.

Next part: Clone Troopers Training on Kamino

[mamuzzy]

@ithillia found me a goldmine here. I haven't read the Legacy of the Force yet but we can get a glimpse here how Boba saw Kal as a kid.

If I remember correctly, Jango called him by Vau's recommendation but I have to reread that part.

Jango: SKIRATA

Rest of the Cuy'val Dar: how did he manage to do that...???

Vau: *reconsidering his life choices of recommending Kal*

Kal Skirata. Smol and angy and able to piss off Jango Fett too.

AGGRESSIVE LITTLE HUMAN I CAN'T-

(I can't believe I've actually found a pikachu-with-knife-gif)

I think Kal still haunts some of the kaminoans' dreams who dared to look at his children the wrong way. But according to Taun We's comment I have the feeling that sometimes they didn't have to give a reason. They just had to be kaminoans for that. Kal really hated them and found them all complicit in harming the clones regardless if they were actually involved in the research or not. Encountering Kina Ha is what starting change his mind about judging an entire race for the crime of the few.

Nulls: Hey, Bob'ika! No passing through this corridor unless you can answer this question.

Boba: [rolls eyes but answers anyway]

Nulls: [narrow eyes] IN MANDO'A.

Boba:

In short (lol)

Kal is short. He always gives the impression of being angry. He doesn't fight fair - I mean, his specialty is assassination, intelligence gathering, and psychological warfare.

He is a menace.

[viscanpikamine]

Anyone else feels like tbb Scorch feels like early Repcomm Vau? Especially Vau thru Kal’s eyes? No? Just me?

Posted on TikTok originally but there’s no repcomm fandom there so posting it here too lol

[isurrendertoclones]

Jango: So it turns out that none of my first-choice trainers were willing to sign a contract for an unspecified amount of time on a secret planet and cut all ties to their former lives, soooo…let’s scrape the bottom of that barrel!

[tinky-dinky]

The Cuy’val Dar

Following on from my Jango post, I want to talk about the Cuy’val Dar.

The same warning as that post applies. This is largely my speculations based on canon, but not actually canon.

A note about Legends canon: Unless it is directly contradicted by the current canon, I choose to include Legends canon as canon.

So, the Cuy’val Dar (Mando’a meaning those who are lost) are the trainers Jango recruited to train the clones on Kamino. There were one hundred of these trainers, and seventy five of those one hundred were Mandalorians. The other twenty five were probably bounty hunters and general mercenaries.

Of the seventy five Mandos, we only know the names of 12 of them. Two, Isabet Reau and Dred Priest, were Death Watch sympathizers if not full on members. The other 10 have no stated allegiance but it’s my speculation that at least some of them were True Mandalorians under Jaster and Jango.

There are two whom I am almost certain were True Mandalorians. Kal Skirata is said to have known Jango for years, so he was obviously at least affiliated with the True Mandalorians. He was found by his adopted father, Munin Skirata, when Munin was on a mission with a group of mercenaries. My guess is those mercenaries were Jaster’s people, and possibly even included Jaster himself.

Rav Bralor was a close friend and comrade in arms of Kal Skirata’s long before Kamino, so obviously if he is a True Mandalorian, it stands to reason that she must have been one too.

There are two others who are potentially True Mandalorians. Llats Ward isn’t stated to have any particular affiliation but his chest plate has a whacking great mythosaur skull on it, which is the sigil of the True Mandalorians. Of course, it’s also just a generally important symbol in Mando culture, so Llats could have it on his armour for entirely different reasons.

Miij Gilmar, the trainer of the clone medics, wasn’t born a Mando but became one after he married a Mandalorian woman. She was murdered, unfortunately and he vowed revenge. It’s noted that he had a deep hatred for the death watch allied Dred Priest and Isabet Reau. My speculation is that his wife was killed by Death Watch and he may have joined (or already have been part of) the True Mandos to avenge her.

There is one more trainer I want to discuss in detail. His name is Cort Davin, and he was a Journeyman Protector on Concord Dawn. Obviously this is the same profession as Jaster and Fett Sr, so this suggests he may have been a colleague of theirs. It does seem that he stayed in the Journeyman Protectors until he was recruited into the Cuy’val Dar, so I don’t think he was a proper member of the True Mandos, but he could have been their ally.

We know virtually nothing of the remaining five named Mandos of the Cuy’val Dar, B’arin Apma, Swart Swifto, Wad’e Tayhaai, Vhonte Tervho and Walon Vau. I have no idea if any of these people were True Mandalorians. It’s possible.

A side tangent about Wad’e Tay’haai: one of the few things I could find about him is that his preferred weapons were a traditional Mando spear and a bes’bav. A bes’bav is a Mandalorian flute that doubles as a stabbing weapon. Of course the Mandos have a musical instrument that is also a weapon. Of course they do. It makes me wonder how many other musical weapons exist in Mando culture. And how many other things Mandos have made into weapons. Many, many things probably.

Anyways, this brings me onto the point of this post: why would any True Mandalorians would agree to train the clones despite it going against their well established code of protection over children? And how did Jango feel about these people that were once his?

It’s my personal speculation that any True Mandalorians that joined the Cuy’val Dar on Kamino did so for a number of reasons. The New Mandalorian pacifists were in charge on Mandalore, so anyone wishing to keep their culture couldn’t stay there. I can’t imagine that Mandalorians are welcomed in many places in the galaxy, so it’s possible some of them joined because it guaranteed a place to live and a source of income and food.

Some might have joined out of loyalty to Jango. Perhaps they thought he wouldn’t allow the clones to be treated badly and by the time it became apparent that he would, they couldn’t back out. Perhaps they wanted to help him and therefore help the clones.

I doubt any of them were actually told what they were being recruited for. It was a secret, after all, and I don’t think telling a bunch of Mandalorians ‘there’s a facility where they’re cloning children to be trained as child soldiers for a war in which they’re likely to die’ would go well.

Honestly, I just find the Cuy’val Dar quite interesting. Who are these people? Why did they agree to come to Kamino? What did they feel about the clones?

[canuckianhawkbi]

Mando season 3 is here and I have polls so:

(Canon poll here)

[choking-on-your-aspirations]

Fic Summary:

Maul dies on Tatooine and wakes up over 40 years in the past. He quickly seizes the opportunity to change his fate on Naboo, to free himself from his Master, to save his brother, and plot a new revenge against Darth Sidious with the advantages of time, foreknowledge and a familiar Mandalorian face. Learning the meaning of friendship and family is just a bonus.

Chapter Summary:

House Vizsla arrive at Fort Mereel with a bang.

[bylightofdawn]

Seeds For the Future Chapter 27

Chapter 27 is live. aka RIP Arla and her preconceived notions of what the True Mandalorians are. She's going through an existential crisis. Meanwhile, they're taking the piss with one another.

[mariandjarin]

Eleni Skirata Diary Part 1

My story

(Eleni Skirata picture created by Canva AI)

Being me, it is funny.

The funniest part of my life is when unexpected situations appear on it.

One of them was falling into a portal and being kidnapped by Jango Fett.

Yes, Boba's father. (Well Boba is his copy actually)

Anyways that bounty hunter kidnapped me and brought me with Count Dooku, and at the end I finished with Kal'buir.

Nothing of that was part of my plans, but it happened in that way.

So, according to Count Dooku, I am special for the things I know about Kamino, the Kaminoans, and Darth Sidious' plans, but I am just a human being.  

What is a mystery to me is that Count Dooku said, "Let her train with the Republic Commandos. Let her become one of them. If some of the Cuy´val Dar ask you why a woman like her is here, tell them she is a special part of the project that cannot be revealed to them or anybody else".

So Jango followed Count Dooku's instructions, and I started training with the Republic Commandos.

I tried to discover the secret that surrounded my person and made me so special to be capture by a Sith Lord, but I didn´t found nothing. (Well not in my republic commando training).

Being a woman surrounded by men like them is difficult because you are the only woman in the training room (without considering Kaminoan women).

My squad was just one of many that trained with Kal'buir, but he helped me a lot during the hard training routines.

I didn't have the condition to be a warrior; I used to work making clinical analyses of blood, urine, and many other substances to give the results to the doctors so they could make the diagnosis of the patients. I didn't used to like my work, but I could say it is easier than Republic Commando training.

Being a woman has its priorities. One of them is that I have my own room. My own space to decorate and sleep or take a nap when I am able to do that. Also, I have my own bathroom.

The only thing I miss a lot is my piano. I used to play a lot of piano, and composing piano songs was my favorite hobby. It's still my favorite hobby, but I haven't played the piano for a long time. 

Also, I like singing. I don't have an Adele voice, but I love singing Mando'a songs, humming the tone of them, or any other song. 

Writing stories is another of my pastimes. So as you can see, I am writing mine.

Anyways, being in Kamino has been different from my home world, where the sun was there most of the time and it looked and felt like a desert. 

The big difference here is that there is nothing more than the training room, storms, and big and violent ocean waves.

(Well handsome supersoldiers are included too).

I used to avoid dates because being the only woman here makes you more interesting to those men, but after a while, I decided to give it a try.

Even when I knew it was risky.

My first date was with a guy called Niner. He is stoic and a gentleman, but which one of these soldiers is not a gentleman?

Ok, I was talking about Niner.

We had our time together. Meeting each other. Sharing pastimes, and yes, I know you want to know if there were some kisses. There were, but most of them were short, and they finished as soon as they started.

It is not allowed to date between comrades, but there is a moment in which you get bored and can't deny your nature. For Niner, well, he didn't know how to take that.

Everything ended two months later. Everyone was ready to ask for the second date, but I didn't want a second date. Niner stole my heart. If he wasn't ready. I decided to wait.

And it was okay until I met Sev from Delta Squad.

There were many stories about Delta Squad. 

Those Republic Commandos were trained by Walon Vau, the mando who has a strill with many privileges, but most of them disturb the inner peace of those around him.  

Well, Sev wasn´t the break rules guy, but we hid our relationship too well until Sergeant Vau discovered us.

That wasn't good. He gave Sev a fight that I won't ever forget. Sev and I were planning to get married, so you can imagine how well our relationship was, but after Vau discovered us, I was reassigned to be a rat lab from the Kaminoanis.

I still have my own room, but I can't go to see any of the boys, or they could be in trouble because of me, and by trouble I mean being killed. 

So, I can't see Kal´buir or the Nulls. I can't even answer their messages. It is like I am in a kind of prison prepared just for me.   

I miss all of them so much. 

Sev is still giving me gifts with love notes in secret. They just appear in my room. Maybe Lord Mirdalan is helping him. (Ok, that would be weird, but please, that strill is smart. All of them are smart). 

Even when this time I have had only for myself has been difficult, I have discovered that I can use the force, and I am very good at it!

Maybe that is what Kamionans, Count Dooku, and Dark Sidious were waiting for when I could use the force, but how? As their sith apprentice?   

I am not interested in those guys, but they could say something like, "We are going to kill your family if you don't do that."

In that case, I will need to use Plan B: Find me and make me do it if you can.

Where would I escape?, I don´t know yet, maybe I could go to the Jedi temple and train in their ways, but that could be difficult for the Jedi because I will involve them in my trouble.

Anyway, today I received a letter with an assigment. It says I am going to be part of...

Clone Force 99?!

Ok, I wasn't expecting that, but to tell you the truth, Darth Sidious and his plans always have a purpose.

Those clones are different to the other groups.

Let´s see what we can learn from each other and I will try to discover what is my part in Darth Sidious plans. (Without killing my new squad).

[cienie-isengardu]

Jango Fett and Walon Vau: The Laws, Orders, Jaster Mereel and True Mandalorians (pre-Galidraan)

for @delkios, I promise, this is about Jango and Vau but I needed to talk about Jaster first

previous part: Age Difference & Childhood Trauma

Jango Fett: Open Seasons comics and Fact Files established that between Korda VI and Galidraan passed 8 years and during that time Fett (14 - 22 years old) was hunting down Tor Vizsla and Death Watch. 

Before I will bring sources and additional commentary for Galidraan, let’s take a moment to establish some available facts about True Mandalorians and Jango.

[...] The orphan was adopted by Jaster Mereel and the Mandalorians - a legendary band of mercenaries with a reputation for ruthless efficiency. Jango was forced to adapt to the Mandalorian way of life. He travelled with the nomadic warriors, learning their code of honour and familiarizing himself with their state-of-the-art equipment. The guidance of Jaster Mereel, and an allegiance to the Mandalorian community, helped compensate Jango for the loss of the mother and father he had hardly known. After Jaster’s death, Jango became leader of the Mandalorians. [Fact Files #22]

[...] As a boy, Jango was orphaned when his family was caught in the cross fire between the terrifying Mandalorian Warriors and their rivals, the Death Watch, on the planet Concord Dawn. A sympathetic Mandalorian commander named Jaster Mereel took pity on Jango and made him a cadet. Soon he was traveling with the nomadic army-for-hire as they toured the galaxy looking for a conflict, always in the service of the highest bidder. Over time, Jango rose through the ranks.  When Jaster Mereel was killed in battle, Jango was named commander, the youngest in the long history of the notorious mercenary army. Since ancient times, Mandalorians were brutally effective fighters, and especially so under Jango Fett’s leadership. However, while fighting to suppress a popular revolt in the Galidraan system, the Mandalorians ran afoul of the Jedi Knights, who wiped out most of the mercenary army and delivered the survivors to the governor of Galidraan. Jango became a slave, but he used the next several years to regain his strength and plot his eventual escape. He exacted revenge on his captors, reclaimed his Mandalorian armour and set off on his own as a bounty hunter. (Bounty Hunter Game Guide)

True Mandalorians were “looking for a conflict, always in the service of the highest bidder”  and described as ruthless and effective, “especially so under Jango Fett’s leadership” which implies a change (improvement) of their army. Jango in general is presented in sources as an excellent warrior and “perfect soldier” however as much as he was admired for his skills and courage, he wasn’t liked that much as a person, quite often considered selfish by his own people: 

Republic Commando Order:66

"Well ... if you want something to shine bright, it has to be polished hard." Skirata wondered exactly what Jango would have done if he hadn't been there to stop Orun Wa from having the Null kids put down. Jango talked tough-was tough-but his callous attitude didn't extend to children, however brutal it looked from the outside. "Jango might have been a self-centered chakaar, but don't believe all that bluster about Boba being nothing more than his apprentice. He wanted a son, no doubt about it. He knew what it was to be a kid waiting to die, so I reckon he'd have given the aiwha-bait a good hard kov'nyn and sent him on his way." Shame you didn't do a hit more for the other boys cloned from you, Jang'ika, but I suppose you didn't have much pity left after all that happened to you. 

[According to Glossary from Triple Zero, chakaar means in Mando 'a: thief, grave robber, general term of abuse]

or

"Deserter," the man said no hint of disapproval. "Discharged dead." Fi groped for the words. He knew what he wanted to say, but getting his mouth to obey him was another matter. He could feel sweat beading on his top lip. "Like a regular medical discharge, only a bit more serious." "It's okay, ner vod, you're among friends here," said the man. "Fett was a disgrace for letting the Kaminoans make clones for the Jedi out of him. It's not your fault." "Don't feel sorry for me," Fi said defensively. He didn't want pity. The Kaminoans didn't care any more than Fett did if the clone army was happy and well treated just as long as it won wars, but he'd had Kal Skirata looking out for him. "Our sergeant took good care of us. He adopted me as his son. We did fine." [...] "It's a small planet. A fair few Cuy'val Dar came back here when they'd finished training you." So the guy did know. The Mandalorian training sergeants handpicked by Fett hadn't all been fond of him, but they respected his prowess. And they'd been griping about life in Tipoca City. Well, there were no more secrets left to keep. Everyone knew about the Grand Army of the Republic now. It was dawning slowly on Fi that Fett, Mand'alor and bounty hunter, had been a good advert for Mandalorian grit, but his heroic status wasn't respected by some of his own people. The Alpha ARC clone troopers, hard men literally made in Fett's mold were scared of him, utterly loyal to his orders even after his death. But Fi realized that some Mando'ade here thought he was a selfish chakaar.

or

"Get it off your chest, Walon," Skirata said. "Come on, ner vod." Vau straightened up. "You never liked Jango, did you?" "I liked him enough. What I didn't like was how he ended up. Jango never gave a toss about anyone but himself. Some Mandalore he turned out to be-he was always away in the latter years, and he was as bad as the Jedi when it came to turning a blind eye to what was happening to his clones. No, Shysa's a fool if he thinks a Fett dynasty is good for Manda'yaim. We're better off without him." "You reckon?" "I do. Sorry, but I do. You suddenly his best mate or something?" Vau suddenly grabbed Skirata by the collar. Shab, he was strong; he almost lifted Skirata bodily as he shoved him against the bulkhead. They'd brawled many times, drawn blood, come close to killing each other, but Skirata had never seen Vau lose his temper, not once. And that was enough to stun him into silence. "Now do you see? Do you?" Vau hissed the sibilant like escaping steam. Mird cowered on the floor, whining softly. "I'm sick to death of your sentimental twaddle about Jango betraying us by letting Kamino use his genes. He did it to stop the Jedi. He did it to create an army strong enough to bring them down. You drone on about the injustice of unelected elites, my little working-class hero-well, now they're gone. Yes, it cost our boys' lives, but the Jedi are gone, gone, gone. And they won't be killing Mandalorians again, not for a long time. Maybe never." Vau was white-faced and trembling. Then he seemed to shake himself out of whatever alien persona had taken hold of him, adjusted his collar, and tugged down the sleeves of his flight suit. He was the ice-cold patrician again. Skirata still couldn't summon up any love or guilt about Jango, but suddenly it made sense, and he knew in his guts that it had been about a lot more than five million creds. Skirata thought of the abuse he’d heaped on Jango. He knew the man; he’d fought with him, in every sense of the word, and he’d also had comradely moments with him. The thought that he might have done him a disservice was one burden of guilt too many. He shut it out. If Jango had been playing the long game, Skirata had never caught a whiff of it. He knew it wasn’t all about the credits. He’d seen Jango cradling Boba in the early days, and that man wanted a son as much as any man ever had. So Skirata hadn’t looked for any motive beyond that. It was the only motive Skirata would have had. “I stand corrected,” said Skirata. How do I apologize? Where do I even start, with the osik I have to deal with now? “So I was wrong about Jango.” And now I know why Shysa wants Jango’s legacy to live on at any cost.

Republic Commando: True Colors

[...] but an ARC who’d gone AWOL was-impossible. Jango Fett had raised and trained them personally, with an emphasis on absolute loyalty to the Republic. Sergeant Kal said that Jango was an unhinged shabuir, but he always stuck to his contract, and that contract had included creating a loyal, totally reliable army. Darman had heard rumors to the contrary, and the Nulls were living crazy proof that a clone soldier could be as eccentric and wayward as any random human, but nothing had ever been confirmed.

Side note: From mando'a: shabuir - extreme insult - *jerk*, but much stronger

Republic Commando: Triple Zero

"Ordo, you just flattened an ARC trooper." "He was delaying us." "But you hit him. Twice." "No permanent harm done," Ordo said, lifting his kama to slide over the pillion seat behind Jusik. He sealed his helmet. "You can't convince Alpha ARCs of anything by rational argument. They're every bit as obtuse and impulsive as Fett, believe me."

Granted, the presented opinions are biased and definitely colored by Kamino experiences and post-Galidraan times in which Fett went into bounty hunting business instead of coming back to his shattered people (and in case of clones trained by Kal, also colored by Skirata's opinion of Jango). However Jango was also criticized by various characters as no team-player and in general, tie-in material kept pointing his solitary nature: 

Republic Commando: Triple Zero

Skirata had worked out fast that Kaminoans despised everything that didn't fit their intolerant, arrogant society's ideal of perfection. So... they thought Jango's genome wasn't the perfect model for a soldier without a little adjustment, then. Maybe it was his solitary nature; he'd make a rotten infantry soldier. Jango wasn't a team player.

or

Yes, I know how the Kaminoans did it. They used our genes against us, the ones that make us bond with our brothers, make us loyal, make us respect and obey our fathers-that's what they manipulated to make us more likely to obey orders. They had to remove what made Jango a selfish loner, because that makes a bad infantry soldier, and you can tell from the Alpha ARCS that the Kaminoans weren't wrong. But there's one thing I don't know yet-and that's how they controlled the aging process. That's the key. They robbed us of a full life span. But we will not be defeated by time, ner vod.     -ARC Trooper Lieutenant N-7-Mereel-in an encrypted transmission to N-11, Ordo

Internal memo penned by Hali Ke, senior research geneticist, Kamino, 27 BBY (source) 

Jango is given to solitude and affects a disdain for human relationships and connections, yet when he agreed to help train our army, he immediately summoned a band of mercenaries who shared his background. And, of course, there is the matter of his fee: Jango seemed barely to care for the considerable sum of five million credits, but was adamant that we create an unaltered clone of himself, whom he now refers to — without a trace of self-consciousness — as his son. I have seen him return to Kamino after killing men for credits, wash the blood out of his starship’s hold, and an hour later be gently talking and playing with young Boba.

Attack of the Clones by R.A. Salvatore

Taun We seemed genuinely perplexed,  and  so  she was, to see a human with so little apparent regard for other humans,  clones or not.   Of course, hadn't the Kaminoans just created an army for the  Republic? There wouldn't be wars without some disagreement, now, would there?   But that, too, held little interest for Jango. He was a solitary bounty hunter, a recluse - or he would have been if not for Boba. Jango didn't care a whit about politics or war or this army of his clones. If every one of  them was slaughtered, then so be it. He had no attachment to any.  He looked to the side as he considered that. To any except for Boba, of course.

The Cestus Deception by Steve

"Perhaps because you are the only one trained for command. That makes you more like Jango." His attention sharpened. "They say he was a loner." "Yes," she said. "But a natural leader, too. At other times he could be invisible, as I understand quite a few people learned to their brief and painful regret." Nate gave a hard, flat chuckle. Yes, indeed. "But if he wanted, when he entered a room every head would turn." She paused a beat. "Especially mine." Her voice grew softer. "But that was all so long ago. I was eighteen years old, and Jango was twenty-five." "Was he a bounty hunter then?" She closed her eyes, dredging up old memories. "I think he was in transition. He'd only been free maybe two years, since the Mandalo-rians were wiped out. I met him in the Meridian sector. He'd lost his armor somehow, and was searching for it." A ruminative smile. "We had just about a year together. Then things got dangerous. We were raided by space pirates. Our ship got blown from the sky, and in the middle of a really nasty space battle we were forced to take separate evacuation pods. I never saw him again." She paused. "I heard he survived, and got his armor back. I don't know if he looked for me." Sheeka shrugged. "Life is like that, sometimes." Her voice had grown wistful. Then she chuckled, and he drew back slightly and looked at her in puzzlement. "Why do you laugh?" "You do remind me of Jango. He always locked his emotions away. But I can remember times when he let them out of their cage." "Such as?" Her sweeter, saucier side was bubbling to the fore, and she was happy to feel it. She'd feared she'd never feel that evanescence again. ``If you're lucky, I might tell you sometime. She knew he was curious now, and pardoned herself for the slight exaggeration. In truth, Jango was a man of few words who kept his feelings in check. In his life, and his chosen lifestyle, that reserve had been vital for survival.

Fact Files #22

Despite Jango's growing stature, he began to feel that something was missing from his life. He remained a loner, but yearned for a son - someone with whom he could enjoy the paternal bond that he felt he had been denied. His ambition would be realized in the most unorthodox way.

Of course, how much of Jango’s selfishness and seclusion was a natural part of his character and how much a result of trauma (especially post-Galidraan) is up to debate, however existence of such opinions gives us a solid reason to think that as much as Fett could be an excellent or even charismatic soldier, he didn’t need be necessary an easy person to work with. There is also a young age of Jango to take into factor and his personal desire for revenge on Death Watch.

On one hand, Jango had undying loyalty of people like Silas, on the other, there was Montross. And yes, as much as Montross isn’t objective in his opinion about then Squad Commander Jango, he did bring up an interesting point about young Fett and his clouded mind when it comes to Jaster. 

Montross: "I think he sometimes forgets that you're not really his son. Hnh. That`s dangerous. Clouds his judgment. And yours. One day soon, Jaster will choose his successor. And he'll need a clear head for that." Jango: “Jaster will do what’s right for the Mandalorians. He always had.” Montross: “Let’s hope we can say the same about you.” [Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue #2]

Montross did not further argue about Jaster’s ability to make a right choice that will benefit their group but put in doubt Jango’s ability to do the same, as in: put the good of True Mandalorians above his personal feelings and desires. Did Montross act there on purpose to hurt young Fett? Most likely, as he did not like how the boy was Jaster’s favorite.

[...] He was also enraged by the attention his commander bestowed upon the daring young recruit, Jango Fett [Bounty Hunter Game Guide]

Jango became a favourite of Jaster Mereel, something that didn't sit well with one of his men Montross, who sought to lead the Mandalorians in Mereel's stead. [Fact Files vol. 3, issue 14]

Still, his final words “You’ll kill them all, Fett” proved true once True Mandalorians again walked into Tor Vizsla’s trap, this time under Jango’s leadership and Fett’s orders - that changed from evacuation to shoot at Jedi - led to massacre of his men. 

The presented opinions and implications about Jango as a person are especially important in regard to Jaster Mereel. Jaster, despite more than two decades of being part of mandalorian lore, is not really developed as a character and a lot we learned about him comes from tie-in sources. He was described as:

“reformed murderer” who “held that the Mandalorians were merely highly-paid soldiers” [Dooku, JF:OS#1]

“a lawman [...] until murdered a superior officer. Wrecked by guilt [...] unable to contain his own passions, he sought to eliminate them in everyone else” [Tor Vizsla, Death Watch Manifesto/Bounty Hunter Code]

“Jaster sought true honor, not the right to ignore laws and moral codes” [Jango, Death Watch Manifesto/Bounty Hunter Code]

“deeply pious human”, who “brought a strong ethic”, and “fought tooth-and-nail to become reigning Mandalore and unite the disparate clans”  [History of the Mandalorians/SW Insider #80]

“A sympathetic Mandalorian commander" who "took pity on Jango and made him a cadet” [Bounty Hunter Game Guide]

Side note: Sources about Jaster like History of the Mandalorian, Jango Fett: Open Seasons and Bounty Hunter Code were talked about in my other text - full quotes can be found there.

Additional source, The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett by Daniel Keys Moran was an original backstory for Boba whose name back then was in fact an pseudonym adopted by exiled from Concord Dawn Jaster Mereel. With Attack of the Clones, the story was retconned but it is the first material that introduced us to strong morality of Jaster:

The last statement of the Journeyman Protector Jaster Mereel, known later as the Hunter Boba Fett, before exile from the world of Concord Dawn: Everyone dies. It's the final and only lasting Justice. Evil exists; it is intelligence in the service of entropy. When the side of a mountain slides down to kill a village, this is not evil, for evil requires intent. Should a sentient being cause that landslide, there is evil; and requires Justice as a consequence, so that civilization can exist. There is no greater good than Justice; and only if law serves Justice is it good law. It is said correctly that law exists not for the Just but for the unjust, for the Just carry the law in their hearts, and do not need to call it from afar. I bow to no one and I give service only for cause.

or

An unpleasant grin touched the young man's lips. "You'll plead me unrepentant." Creel stared at him. "Do you understand the seriousness of this, boy? You killed a man." "He had it coming." "They'll exile you, Jaster Mereel. They'll exile you!'' "I could always go join the Imperial Academy," Mereel said, "if I got exiled. I expect I'd make a good storm." Creel overrode him: "and they may execute you, if you anger them sufficiently. Is it such a hard thing to say you're sorry for having taken a life unjustly?" "I am sorry," said Mereel. "Sorry I didn't kill him a year ago. The galaxy's a better place without him."

Even with limited material, there is visible contrast in how Jaster and Jango were perceived. Mereel is a man respecting laws with strong ethical sense, sympathetic, deeply involved in mandalorian matters. Tor Vizsla - his enemy who literally could write down any lie and slander about Jaster in his propaganda text - associated him with passion for all possible things. And yes, Tor considered it a flaw, something that Mereel was unable to contain and something, most likely alongside the wrecking guilt, that deeply affected his approach to Mandalorian Way, yet still it does not paint Jaster in the negative light as Jango being called by his own men as selfish chaakar and uncaring loner, disgrace or even claiming they were better off without him.

(And isn’t there something ironic how both Tor’s opinion and Jango’s men's critique is said from the perspective of time and somehow Vizsla - an enemy - remembers Jaster in a much nicer manner than Jango is remembered by his own people?).

Jaster’s strong sense of morality (coming mainly from tie-in material than Jango Fett: Open Seasons, the prime source) could be also an important factor in regard to Improved True Mandalorians’ brutal effectiveness under Jango Fett’s leadership. 

Mind you, there are not enough direct sources to clearly support or completely refute this idea, as the original comics showed us only one mission taken by Jaster - an extraction of a rookie squad pinned down by hostile locals.

[Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue #2]

As Jaster said, the job’s a routine extraction mission, so there is a chance True Mandalorians did some similar missions in the past. The job did not necessarily mean Mandalorians needed to kill the “enemy” of the Korda Defense Force, just that they were going to save Korda Defense Force’s people which doesn’t sound that bad from a moral standpoint.

In contrast, the only mission done by True Mandalorians under Jango Fett’s leadership we know any details about is Galidraan.  

Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue 3

I'm going to tell the governor that the insurrection is over...

"Your reign is secure" [...] "I killed your enemy now tell me where to find mine!"

Bounty Hunter Game Guide:

Since ancient times, Mandalorians were brutally effective fighters, and especially so under Jango Fett’s leadership. However, while fighting to suppress a popular revolt in the Galidraan system, the Mandalorians ran afoul of the Jedi Knights, who wiped out most of the mercenary army and delivered the survivors to the governor of Galidraan. 

Fact Files vol.3, issue 14

Fett led the Mandalorians for eight years, during which the hunt for Vizsla was never far from their minds. When they discovered that Death Watch was being protected and funded by the Governor of Galidraan, they accepted a job dealing with a minor rebellion on the planet in order to get close to Vizsla. But when Jango left  the Mandalorians to go and collect payment (and to insist that the governor should give up Death Watch and Vizsla to them), it turned out to be a trap. Vizsla was waiting, and Jango had to make a fighting retreat.

Fact Files #124 

Eight years after the death of Jaster Mereel, Jango Fett’s leadership had ensured the survival and even the growth of the Mandalorian group. The Governor of Galidraan hired them to deal with an insurrection that threatened his tyrannical hold on power. Jango’s men did their job, but when Jango went to the Governor, he was ambushed by the Governor’s new associates - Vizsla and the Death Watch.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Mandalorians were asked by the governor of Galidraan to quell an insurrection[...]

In general, tie-in material is in agreement that A) True Mandalorians under Jango’s leadership took a job to deal with an insurrection B) governor was corrupted (working for Tor Vizsla) and his rule was even called a tyrannical one. 

Korda Six was meant to be an easy job for young Jango’s sake yet still was about saving a rookie squad in need while Jango’s men took money to destroy people that most likely fought for their freedom, rights and/or democracy. All done just so Jango could get Tor Vizsla, the murderer of his biological family and surrogate father. We can’t be sure if Jaster Mereel would take that job. The retconned Jaster-Boba Fett most likely would

“What you're doing is morally wrong. The Rebels are in the wrong, and the Rebellion will fail as it should." Leia Organa could not keep the outrage out of her voice. "Morally wrong? Us? We're fighting for homes and our families and our loved ones, the ones who are still alive and the ones we've lost. The Empire destroyed my entire world, virtually everyone I ever knew as a child?" Fett actually leaned forward slightly. "Those worlds rose in rebellion against the authority legally in place over them. The Emperor was within his rights to destroy them; they threatened the system of social justice that permits civilization to exist." He paused. "I am sorry for the deaths of the innocent. But that happens in war, Leia Organa. The innocent die in wars, and your side should not have started this one." [The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett by Daniel Keys Moran]

However, would that be true for Jaster Mereel, known from Jango’s backstory? Would a person that according to History of the Mandalorians “brought a strong ethic that extended far beyond the limited Mandalorian ideology fighting for credits” be okay with destroying an insurrection against a corrupted official if he himself killed a corrupted fellow Protector and/or his superior? And yes, True Mandalorians were a mercenary band selling their martial arts for good money but that does not mean that Jaster accepted every job available. 

Jaster is known for his strong moral sense that put him in collision with Tor Vizsla and Death Watch that accepted only Mandalorian laws, the law of strongest/violence. Jango too was described as having a personal honor code, but so far sources are concerned, Fett's main rule was that once you accept a job you must finish it. It didn’t matter if his target was a criminal or people forced in slave labor. 

As Jango taught Boba, “Your loyalty, your honor – these are the things that matter. When you accept a mission, when you give your word, it is all that matters. As you grow into a man, you must remember: in battle, there can be no mercy. [Tales 18: Way of the Warrior]

The final difference between Jaster and Jango comes to this: Jaster wanted to be Mandalore 

“[...] fought tooth-and-nail to become reigning Mandalore and unite the disparate clans”  [History of the Mandalorians/SW Insider #80]

while Jango did not show that desire nor was named by Jaster as his successor.  

Some sources incorrectly claim Jango was chosen by Jaster Mereel:

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

[Jaster Mereel] also appointed Jango Fett as his choice to succeed him as Mand'alor.

and Legacy of the Force: Revelation by Karen Traviss

"Why did Shysa think Fett should be Mandalore? Because his father was?" Jaina didn't add that Fett didn't strike her as the community-minded kind. "Bloodlines don't matter to you." "True, but Jango had a fearsomely good fighting reputation, and he was Jaster Mereel's chosen heir, so the Fett name has some power.

however Jaster Mereel, as was pointed out by comics, didn’t name his successor and as comics showed, he did not utter any last word before his death.

[Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue 2]

Furthermore, Jango did call Montross unfit to lead True Mandalorians for leaving Jaster Mereel for death but that is it. Fourteen years old Fett did not make any claim to the Mandalore title - it was Silas, the loyal soldier, who first said he would  follow Jango and no one else and other soldiers backed up that.

Jango: That's not your call to make, Montross. I say you're not fit to lead us. You left Jaster on the battlefield. To die alone. Silas: I'll follow Jango. And do one else. Montross: Is that what you want? A child leading you? [Jango Fett: Open Seasons, issue 2]

Jango was already a great soldier, however that Jaster treated him as his son, does not mean he planned to officially name him his successor, as there could be better fitted, older and more experienced Mandalorians to hold that title (and maybe, when Fett would be older, then he could be their successor). Jango himself believed that Jaster will choose what is the best for True Mandalorians.

Now, let's talk about Walon Vau and how he fits True Mandalorians in the pre-Galidraan era. We know he joined Mandalorians at a young age. We also know that True Mandalorians is a name used by Jaster Mereel to distinguish his men from rebellious Death Watch -

[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]

something that must have happened not so before Jango was orphaned (58BBY), however both factions were part of the same Mandalorian Mercs. So there is a real possibility that Walon Vau knew/was aware of Jaster Mereel - or was affected by his Supercommando Codex to some degree before he served under Jango Fett.

The same as Jango, Vau is presented as a very competent soldier but not exactly liked as a person, at least at the beginning of the Republic Commando book series. In general, the change in perception of Vau is the best seen through his difficult yet complex relationship with Kal Skirata however no matter how relationship warmed between Vau and other characters, the novels constantly described him as cold, detached, hard to read, sometimes even to the point he looked like he did not care about anything and anyone or generally speaking, as someone keeping his emotions under control.

In True Colors, Walon himself admitted to have “little time for anyone else, regardless of species” with the exception of Mird, the men of the Grand Army and most likely Jango Fett, for whom he agreed to train army for around decade on Kamino, cut away from the outside world. Similarly, in Imperial Commando: 501st, Ordo claimed he “had never known Vau to show the slightest interest in another living being” in the context of a romantic/sexual relationship.

(Side note: I do think Vau may be asexual/aromantic and depending on Jango Fett’s own sexuality this could be another factor why they get along better than Jango with Kal Skirata, something I talked more in another meta).

Republic Commando Prima Guide outright called Vau “borderline sociopathic”

same as The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia:

"Like his peers, Vau was a Mandalorian mercenary. As one of the Cuy'val Dar, Seargeant Vau was known for his pessimistic demeanor, and his training was noted for the worst-case scenarios [...]. Many of his graduates considered Vau to be a borderline sociopath, especially given the way he planned missions."

Side note: in the book series it is actually trained by Kal Skirata clones who use terms like "Old Psycho" and "head case" for Walon, not Vau's own men. And generally speaking most terms like crazy, psycho or other mental implications comes from Kal or his men. Jango too was insulted as unhinged shabuir.

Though from my online research I’m not sure if “borderline sociopath" truly fits the book!Vau, I think it is safe to call him an introvert who most likely falls into the spectrum of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Similar to Jango, Walon is not a person who wants or needs to connect to people, beside the few special beings - for Jango it was Jaster and Boba, for Walon Mird and his clone trainees.

However in contrast to Fett, Vau seems to have much more defined morality. Yes, Jango followed his own personal code - keep your word and finish the mission you agreed to do - yet despite himself being a slave for at least two years, this experience apparently did not create in Jango empathy for enslaved, oppressed people as in the end, he was working for those who could afford his service, which includes the corrupted politicians and criminals enriched on slavery and illegal spice. And when Kaminoan scientistpointed out he lacked morality, Jango get angry:

Internal memo penned by Hali Ke, senior research geneticist, Kamino, 27 BBY (source) 

I have now logged many sessions with our prime clone Jango Fett, and concluded that he embodies his species’ contradictions. He is a killer many times over, ending the life of others without hesitation if paid to do so, yet his anger was obvious when I suggested he lacked morality.

In contrast, Walon acknowledged that he is a criminal by Coruscant standards and did not deny that at all. 

Republic Commando: Order 66

“I’ve known Skirata for some years,” Vau said. “He’s a criminal by Coruscant standards. So am I. But an outright traitor - no. He’s a professional.”

At the same time, he did not allow Deltas to cross the line between soldiers and criminals, as he was adamant they won’t steal money during raid on Mygneeto Bank

Republic Commando: True Colors

"Sarge, we got what we came for. Why are we robbing a bank?" "You're not robbing it. I'm robbing it. You're just opening a door."

and

“We can empty the-” “I steal. You don’t.” It was a fine point but it mattered to Vau. Skirata might have raised a pack of hooligans, but Vau’s squads were disciplined. Even Sev… Sev was psychotic and lacked even the most basic social graces, but he wasn’t a criminal.

- even if Walon personally considered depriving his biological family of their fortune as a matter of justice, for himself and clone troopers ("I'm not robbing for gain. I'm not a greedy man. I just want justice. [...] Justice for me; justice for the clone troops, used up and thrown away like flimsi napkins.")

Side note: Kal's comment even further imply how unusual was for Vau to rob a bank in the first place:

"Unconfirmed. We lost his signal. He had kit with him that General Jusik felt you would want to recover." "What for?" "He cleaned out a bank vault. Credits, jewelry, bonds, the works. Two bags." Vau robbed a bank? Skirata was taken aback. The miserable old di'kut was game for breaking any law, but plain theft - never. This was Skirata's style, not Vau's.

Walon also did not allow Delta Squad to take part in extraction of Jilka because he considered it "too dirty and political".

Republic Commando: Order 66

"What do you want us to do, Sarge?” Vau summoned Mird back to his side with a silent gesture. “Nothing.” “Sarge, we can-” “No. You can’t. Sorry. This crosses the line from soldier to … well, I don’t want you involved with this. I needed Zey to know what I was doing, but it’s better you don’t ask why, either.” “Okay, Sarge.” Scorch activated his helmet comlink, wondering if Vau didn’t think they were good enough to take on RDS. “I’ll get the schematics of the security cells, and we’ll have you an operational plan inside half an hour.” “Scrap the plan, Scorch, but the schematics would be very welcome. Get some rest. Kashyyyk is going to wring you dry.” “Okay, Sarge.” They had time to give him a bit of help. “We wouldn’t foul up, honest.” “I know. But this is too dirty and political even for special ops. Concentrate on Kashyyyk. Real soldiering to be done there.”

Side note: Freeing Jilka Zan Zentis out of RDS custody was more done for benefit of Besany and Ordo (and Skirata) than anything else but Vau drew the line and kept to the resolution that members of the Delta Squad were soldiers first and foremost - their mission were sanctioned by Republic military and whatever happened and whoever they killed during said missions did not make them criminals. On other hand, there is something to say about Vau and how much of "dirty work" he did for Skirata clan's benefit through the whole book series.

The books also points out that despite his brutality and detachment, he cared for his own military self-respect and wasn’t one for blindly following orders:

“Are you on brigade strength again, Sarge?” Scorch asked. “No. Still civilian status.” Vau wore a slightly preoccupied frown that didn’t seem to have anything to do with the business at hand. “That way I can tell Zey where to stick his orders without feeling I’ve lost my military self-respect. An army that refuses orders is a rabble.” Scorch had heard it all before. It was like a litany, and he knew his lines. “An army that refuses orders is a danger to its citizens.” “An army that refuses orders is dead.” “You ever disobeyed an order, Sarge?” “Only when it was unlawful. And that’s not always an easy call, not when the bolts are shaving your nose hair. I’ll leave that wisdom to the lawyers sitting on their padded shebse years after the event.” Vau had never been a chatty man at the best of times; maybe this was the private Vau, the one his squads rarely saw.

 Of course, what is “unlawful” in the opinion of a man that had no objection to brutalize clone cadets on Kamino or to interrogate and later kill an unarmed woman is up to debate.

Vau, for a former aristocrat, has also a very clear disdain for slavery:

Republic Commando: True Colors

"Of course," said Skirata, "we don't know if he's aware that the Republic sends out hit men to execute clones who want to try their luck in Civvy Street, either." Vau was watching the conversation with an air of boredom, which usually meant quite the opposite. He kept looking across to the one closed cabin, which had to be Ko Sai's holding cell, and exuding impatience. "If you broadcast that on the hour, all day on HNE, nobody would care, Kal. I guarantee it." "They'll care if the Seps start attacking Coruscant and interrupt their holovid viewing, all right." "But there's not going to be this massive wave of protest on behalf of Our Brave Boys. You'll be knocked flat by the wave of apathy. Goodness, our slave army, bred to fight, disposed of when it's too much trouble? What a sensible system! Good for the Chancellor! That's what we pay our taxes for!" Vau dropped the bored act and came very close to exposing emotion for once. "It saves all those civilians from having to look after their own democracy. The most you'll get is a few creds dropped in a charity box on the anniversary of Geonosis. No Senator is going to change a thing."

or

"Ugliness is an illusion, gentlemen." Vau began sorting through his disputed inheritance. "Like beauty. Like color. All depends on the light." The first thing that caught his eye in the family box was his mother's flawless square-cut shoroni sapphire, the size of a human thumbprint, set on a pin and flanked by two smaller matching stones. In some kinds of light, they were a vibrant cobalt blue, while in others they turned forest green. Beautiful: but real forests had been destroyed to find them, and slaves died mining them. "The only reality is action." 

or

"You do realize," he said to Skirata, "that if the troopers were given a choice, most would opt to stay in the army anyway?" "I do. We all prefer the comfort of what we know best." "They'd be as dead as volunteers as they'd be as slaves, Kal." "But they'd have a choice, and that's what makes us free men." "Actually, that's a load of osik. Plenty of free beings in the galaxy don't have a vote and don't get a choice about what they do each day. There's a very blurred line between slavery and economic dependence." 

Additional Commentary: The line:  "there's a very blurred line between slavery and economic dependence." most likely is related to Vau's biological family. From the same book:

“It’s the Arakyd special, Walon. Says more about you than credits ever can.” The gangster look was less conspicuous here than full Mandalorian armor. The idea was to look like they’d come for sportfishing so that submerging Aay'han offshore didn’t attract the wrong sort of interest. “Looks rather expensive.” “Another bauble from the Vau deposit box. My great-grandfather is said to have shot a servant with it for serving his caf too hot.” Skirata almost went for the bait. “You’re just saying that to make me mad, aren’t you?” Vau’s expression was unreadable. “You know I’d never do such a thing.” Mereel put a restraining hand on Skirata’s shoulder as he overtook him. The terrible thing about Vau and his family was that it was perfectly possible.

This little story - whatever true or not - illustrates well that a person doesn't need to be shackled down like a slave to be exploited and mistreated. A servant, a free person earning their own living - may still be economic dependent on a cruel master with no protection from abuse, even if in theory applicable laws should regulate the coexistence of employer and employee. But sadly, the same as in real life the domestic help was often abused and mistreated, the galaxy far far away is too filled with corruption, greed and general lack of care for the poorest and the most vulnerable.

Vau’s point is especially interesting in regard to Jango, who at least twice took part in suppressing rebellion against the planet's potentially tyrannical leader (Galidraan) and slave revolt against Kuat elite/ Corporate exploitation, as happened in mentioned previously Tales 18: Way of the Warrior

Taking into account that Vau is

empathic enough to think there's a very blurred line between slavery and economic dependence and has some stories related to his biological family and its exploitation of other beings without an ounce of regret (slaves dying to mine shoroni sapphire, a stones used by his mother or the servant killed for trivial, petty reason)

he refused to follow orders he considered unlawful even under enemy's fire

we should ask this - did the mission on Galidraan was the line he refused to cross?

Mind you, there is not enough direct sources to prove it or reject this notion, so this is just one of possibilities, but if Walon Vau served under Jaster Mereel before Korda Six and shared similar approach to law and morality, after eight years of hunting for Death Watch (and knowing Tor Vizsla and his cunning nature, that was most likely a wild goose chase) he could become disinterested in Jango's more ruthless leadership at some point. Not enough to quit True Mandalorians but enough to notice that Jango may move further and further away from what Jaster Mereel would consider a good (morally and financial) contract for his people. After all, Galidraan was only partially about money, as it was above all a means to catch and kill Tor Vizsla, so Montross could be right, young Fett's mind was clouded when it comes to Jaster and avenging his death.

I'm not saying that Jango was a bad leader, but I think Vau not wanting to involve himself in suppressing a rebellion of ordinary people against a potential tyrant (aristocrat) fits well within established data about him. Even more if we take into account his statement:

Vau didn’t meet Skirata’s eyes for a moment, but he glanced at Jusik. “I could have been at Galidraan, but I wasn’t, and I never forgot that. Not my fight. Should have been my fight.” [Republic Commando: Order 66]

"Not my fight" most likely is about Vau's more ambivalent feeling toward Death Watch (that understandable after Galidraan turned into hatred) and recognizing that it was Jango's revenge quest but I think it may also be about the nature of the mission that went against Vau's own moral code. And another question without a clear answer is, did Vau ever disobeyed Jango's order before Galidraan?

At this moment, I think it is safe to assume that Vau knowing Jango for over two decades does not automatically mean they were close to each other from the start but considering that Jango at some point shared with Walon personal matters like childhood trauma (more details in previous part), he was no stranger either. However Jango being the Mandalore does not make him "moral authority" in Walon's eyes (the way Jaster was, maybe?) who could and in fact refused to follow orders if he did consider them unlawful. Young Jango on another hand was more concerned with his personal quest (revenge) than morality of his action and may have taken a contract that Jaster himself wouldn't. What could lead to some tension between those two, but as Galidraan and its dire consequences will shown, the potential personal conflict between Vau and Fett did not set them apart.

Next part: Galidraan and its consequences

[kats-chaotic-wonderland]

Clone Adoption Agency (Chapter 3)

Back at it again, slowly getting things rolling. If it's not clear this storyline is mostly about Kaviir and her brothers. So she's going to be heavy focused for the next few chapters as we get through Kamino up to Geonosis.

Enjoy the fluff while we have it.

//THIS IS YOUR WARNING, I HAVE MOSTLY DISREGARDED CANNON. THIS IS FOR FUN. NO I AM NOT SORRY. NO I AM NOT CHANGING IT.//

When morning rolled around Vette was awoken by the sound of someone in the kitchen. Groggy, sitting up with a stretch before she walked into the kitchen to find Kaviir.

Her daughter was doing her best to cook...well something...it seemed like even she wasn't sure what she was doing. Flour was scattered around on everything, and several egg were cracked haphazardly into a small bowl. As she did her best to flour coat a pan, her tongue sticking out in concentration, a bag of sugar was slowly tipping over towards the edge of the counter.

Vette caught the sugar then walked over and picked her daughter up, “What are you doing, goofball?”

She was dusted in a small amount of what was probably chocolate powder,"Well....I couldn't sleep. And you were asleep. And I wanted to make breakfast.....but cooking is hard, and I am too short to see over the counter." She huffed cutely.

Vette laughed openly at that remark, “You’re too good for me.” Vette smiled and wiped the girls face off with a wet towel, “Go get cleaned up, and we can make something together, okay?”

"Okay!" She grinned and wiggled down to go clean up.

Vette let her down and stared at the mess across the counter, “What was she even planning?” She chuckled to herself and saved what all she could, while cleaning up and disposing of the rest. There was a roller and some cutters on the counter. Cookies was a safe bet, but it was more of a flour water mess. Another bowl had something mixed with chocolate, she figured that was probably what the cake pan was for.

“Alright then.” Vette smiled and grabbed the rest of the ingredients they would need. She thought for a moment then grabbed some other things as well. “Let’s try this instead.”

Kaviir came back out a moment later cleaned up and poked her head over the counter.

Vette smiled and wiped her hands, “You know… if you want to see what I’m doing…” she reached under the counter and opened a cabinet as a small stool dropped out, “You can always use this."

This just made Kaviir toss her hands up in exasperation,"What! I didn't even know we had that!"

“Of course. How else would I get you to wash dishes.” She teased.

She gave her a small glare,"Touche...." Then climbed up, leaning her little hands on the counter she looked eagerly at what her mother was doing.

Vette chuckled and kissed Kaviir on the cheek, “Mommy’s little helper.” She teased.

With a giggle Kaviir wrapped her in a hug,"Yup!"

Vette stopped for a moment and held on to Kaviir. She gave her a little squeeze and smiled, “I love you, Kaviir.”

"I love you too momma." She smiled

Vette gave her one last kiss before standing back up, “So… I saw that you were trying to make cookies. But how about some sweet biscuits.”

"Okay!" She grinned and bounced excited,"Let's do it!"

Vette chuckled and went to work. After another fifteen minutes of prepping cooking, Vette pulled out a tray of pastries that smelled of chocolate, “Alright, let’s dig in.”

Kaviir waited eagerly as they cooled, once she could she snagged one and took a bite. Tippy tapping her little feet happily at the flavor.

Vette grabbed her a glass of blue milk as well, “Here, you need this too. You’re still growing.”

She wrinkled her nose,"That stuff is weird."

“It helps you grow strong bones and muscles though.” Vette chuckled, “Don’t want those boys to leave you in the dust, do you?”

"No, but that stuff tastes weird." She pouted, crossing her arms stubbornly.

“You’re not supposed to sip it, hun. You throw it back.” Vette laughed.

She wrinkled her nose again,"Ew....why."

“Because it doesn’t taste great.” Vette sighed and poured herself a glass, “It’s like a natural medicine.”

"Couldn't you just take actual medicine?" She asked

“You want to go talk to the medicinal development side of this planet of genetically obsessed weirdos?” Vette asked in a bit of a sarcastic tone.

Kaviir shook her head,"nope."

“Then drink, hun.” Vette smiled and finished her own breakfast, “and hurry, we have to get to the training room soon.”

She huffed but choked down her milk before gagging and shoving a biscuit in her mouth.

“Alright, geez. I should have you try out for holo movies after that stirring performance.” She chuckled, “Get ready to go, goober.”

She nodded and ran off to the fresher with a thumbs up.

The next few months went rather well as they went about a regular routine. Vette focused on training her boys, making sure they had a proper foundation for the next phase of their training. All the while Kaviir and Echo squad were growing closer every day.

----------

Time had passed since Vette and Kaviir had first arrived on Kamino, Kaviir had already turned eight and things were going rather well. They’re time with the clones had given them a lot to work with, and now they were meeting with two more Mandalorian instructors. Vette walked with Kaviir as they entered a small training pit waiting for them were the other two instructors. One was in sandy gold armor with a black accents. The other was in black armor with silver and purple accents. The shorter one with the golden armor removed his helmet, revealing his aged face. He smiled and walked over towards them, “Vette! Haha! It’s good to see you after all of these years.” He wrapped her into a hug and hoisted her up with surprising ease.

Vette returned the embrace and buried her head into the nape of his neck, “Kal’buir.” She smiled, “It’s great to see you too.”

The older man set her down and looked over to Kaviir, “and who’s this little one?”

Kaviir tilted her head looking up at him curiously, earning a smile from the two of them.

“Kaviir. My daughter.” Vette bumped her on the back and smiled, “Kav’ika. This is Kal Skirata. One of my mentors. You’ll not find a more loyal friend.”

"Hi!" Kaviir waved with a smile.

He let out another laugh, “A daughter? Vette! Shame on you for not telling me.” He picked the girl up and poked her nose.

“Someone was out of contact for ten years.” Vette smiled shaking her head as she settled her hands on her hips. Kaviir giggled and hugged Kal tightly

Skirata patted the girl on the head, “Yes, well, I was dealing with my own issues.”

“That’s fine. You two can have a lot of make up time.” Vette took Kaviir back and set her down, “Now then, let’s get to work.”

She looked up at all of them,"what are we doing?"

“We’re doing some special training today.” Vette spoke as three of her squads walked in. Six more squads, none of which Kaviir recognized, entered the room and stood around both Skirata and Vau.

Very stood at the head of them all and cleared her throat, she spoke loud and clear as she addressed them,“Today's training will be different for you all. You’ve each trained alongside and against your brothers. While you’ve shown improvement over the past few weeks, we need to go further. So, today, each squad will face off against another in melee combat. You will fight until you can’t pick yourselves up, and the last squad standing will move on to the next round until only a single squad is left. Is that clear?”

The boys all stood at attention and called out, “Yes, commander!” And split off into their groups.

Kaviir looked over all of the new squads curiously. Then she looked up at Vau and Kal before she looked to Vette,"I'm sitting this one out huh?"

“Yes.” Vette nodded, “This exercise is tailored specifically for the clones.”

"Boys." Kaviir corrected her.

“Yes, but not just ours, all of them.” Vette nodded. “We’re sort of testing this exercise to see if it produces viable results.”

"I get that." She nodded

“Do you?” Vette smiled at Kaviir.

"Yeah." She nodded looking up at her mother,"All three of you teach differently, so putting different styles against each other gives them a chance to better apply their training."

“Well then, let’s see what all you observe.” Vette nodded and the first groups went in.

Kaviir nodded and looked out at the arena. The first bout was between Skirata’s boys, and a squad from Vette’s group. The fighting went on for nearly five minutes before a winner was decided. Vette smiled as she watched her cadets rise victorious.

“Oya! Well done. Next, Vau… pick one of your squads, they can go up next.” Vette smiled proudly.

The man nodded slowly before barking orders to one of his squads, which made them visibly flinch. Catching their reaction Kaviir frowned as her brow furrowed. She shot Vau a small glare. He seemed to not even notice the girl as the squads entered the arena. Though they flinched at Vau, it was clear that against other cadets, they were a force to be reckoned with. Only one of his troopers seemed to be knocked out during that fight, and it was only after he was double teamed by two of Vette’s.

Vette sneered slightly, “Damn, they’re good. Very good.”

“You know how Walon teaches, are you surprised?” Kal shook his head

“Suppose I shouldn’t be.” She sighed and watched her second squad get removed.

“Okay, Kal. You’re turn to take on the monster.”

Kaviir frowned and stepped around to check on the boy who got knocked down without getting close to the ring. She could hear Vau critique their performances. “Amateur at best. Keep fighting like that and your first deployment will end with you serving as kill counts on someone’s helmet.” He shook his head, “Atin… you could at least attempt to not let them team up on you.”

“Yes, sir…” the boy nodded. When Vau turned his attention to someone else, Atin glanced and caught Kaviir's gaze. She waved, but he turned away quickly. This made Kaviir huff silently and slowly moved back to Vette.

Vette set her hand on the girls shoulder, “Thoughts so far?”

"Not nice." She mumbled looking grumpy

“Oh? Care to elaborate?” Vette knelt down next to her.

"Later." She shook her head looking at the ground, her little hands balled into fists at her sides.

Vette felt a little concerned by her daughter's sudden mood shift, but left her to her thoughts. They watched the next fight and were surprised again to see Vau’s clones lead with such an overwhelming victory. None of them had gone down that time.

“Fier’fek…” Vette cursed, “What does he do to them?”

Kaviir muttered something under her breath but none of them could catch it. She was swapping between watching the kids and tossing glares at Vau.

Vette caught on eventually and hoisted her up, “Hey, you keep making those faces, it will eventually stick like that.”

She huffed cutely and crossed her arms,"No it won't."

“It might, you never know. Then we’d have to have one of these mean scientists reconstruct it.” Vette teased and kissed the girls cheek.

She looked at her with panic,"no. I like my face." Her hands snapped up to cover her cheeks.

Vette laughed again, “You’re too cute, little one.” She pulled Kaviir close, “and don’t worry. I won’t let the space giraffes touch you.”

“The what?” Skirata nearly spat out his drink.

"Sea giraffes." Kaviir corrected matter of factly.

“Pardon me, sea giraffes.” Vette chuckled.

“Are you referring to the Kaminoans?” Kal raised an eyebrow.

“Yes… Kaviir has not taken well to their appearance.”

"They look stupid." She said bluntly

“You are definitely your mothers child.” Kal sighed. “But I don’t blame you for being disturbed by them, I’ve already had to have several chats with them regarding my special boys.”

“Special?” Vette raised an eyebrow.

“Nulls. That’s what they’ve been dubbed as. Too rash and disobedient to go through training. They tried to terminate one of the boys as they showed them to me.”

Kaviir frowned again looking incredibly upset,"They did what?"

“Now you’ve done it.” Vette sighed, “Go on. Explain.”

Kal shook his head and reached out, “Come here, little one.”

She settled into his arms and looked up at him. Concern written in her little face.

“The Kaminoans… they created these boys, but they don’t treat them the same way you or I would. They see them more as… property or… a possession."

"I've noticed." She nodded,"I don't like it. They're kids, not droids."

“You’re right.” Vette nodded, “they are, but that’s why we have to train them as hard as we do. If they stay above that threshold, we can keep them safe WITHOUT blowing up the facility and taking them with us.”

"I feel the second option would be easier." She shrugged

“It really wouldn’t be.” Vette shook her head, “Listen, Kav’ika. All that matters is that you’re doing everything you can to help these boys have a normal childhood. And you’re helping ME train them. Just keep doing that, and everything will be okay.”

"Fiiine." She sighed,"but I still think a jail break would be more efficient."

“That’s probably not a good idea either.” Skirata shook his head, “listen to your mother, little one, and keep doing your best.”

"What I think can be different from what I do." She shrugged,"I'm eight, it's not like I could do anything effective on my own."

“Don’t worry too much about it.” Kal ruffled her hair, “We’ll definitely find ways to mess with them later.”

"Agreed," then she shook her head,"....you haven't finished yet. What did they do to the boys?"

“Nothing once they were with me.” Kal stood up and watched the fight, though it was clear that Vau’s boys would win again. “The nulls, Ordo and his brother Mereel, by the time the Kaminoans had moved to grab them, they had jacked my spare blaster from my boot and had it trained on the bastard, dead center of the chest, ready to shoot. No hesitation in the boys eyes. All he cared about was defending his brothers.”

"Good." She nodded,"They're good boys."

“Indeed they are.” Kal sighed as he watched the fight close out. “Well. This pretty much gives me my answer.” Kal shook his head, “They’ve got a lot of work ahead of them.”

Kaviir nodded watching the boys, she was more focused on Vau's squads. The looks they kept giving Vau worried her. Soon, there was only one more squad left from both Vette and Vau’s side. Jurir and his brothers, against Vau’s earliest squad. They all seemed ready, save for one who looked a little uncertain.

“Five-five-seven! Get your head in the game!” Vau called out, a little more irritated than usual.

Kaviir shot him another glare, this one was blatant and they could definitely see it. Vau, again, didn’t make any mention of Kaviir.

Vette put her hand on Kaviir’s shoulder, “Udesii, ad’ika.”

The fight began and it became immediately apparent that this five five seven wasn’t as in sync with his brothers as he needed to be. Most surprising, however, was Kad, from Vette’s squad. Rather than focus on a single target, he seemed to weave between Vau’s boys and lure them all to him, leaving themselves open to strikes from Jurir, Torch and Tech. After a few moments had passed, they were all on the ground, out.

The first three of Vau’s boys sat up and sighed, knowing what they were in for whenever they got back. The last one, five-five-seven… looked like he was content to lay there and die.

This made Kaviir frown and wiggle out of Kal's arms quickly.

Vette called out, “Kaviir? Where are you going?”

Kaviir didn't say anything as she ran down to the arena and checked on all of the boys. Starting with Vau's. She looked each of them over for injuries and asked if they were alright. The boys were alright enough, a few bruises here and there, but she noticed something, there were scars that looked like they had already healed, and bruise marks that appeared to be a week or two old already. Jurir nodded to Torch as they set out to help them all up.

“Ruusan.” Vau finally removed his helmet to reveal his face. He was an older man, not much older than Skirata by any means. “Didn’t know they assigned you your own personal medic. Your numbers get beaten up that badly?”

“Can it, Vau.” She sneered, “My BOYS just made two of your squads look like aiwha bait.”

Vau glared at the beaten up cadets under his command, “At this rate, that’s about all they’re good for.” He looked back to the squad behind him, “Oya! Scorch, Sev! Help the losers up.”

Kaviir growled under her breath as she looked over the scars and bruises. Jurir and the others saw her demeanor shift to something they hadn't seen in her yet. Anger. She whipped around and glared at Vau, mumbling something in Mandoa that she had probably heard from her mother a few times, before she shook her head and looked at the boy still on the ground with a softer look. She offered him a hand,"You okay?"

“I don’t think any of us are.” He sat up without taking her hand, “You should get back to your commander, it will be easier on all of us.” The cadet known as Scorch hopped down to help five-five-seven up.

"She's my mom. Not commander." She grabbed his hand gently and looked at all of them,"Is he hurting you? Outside of your training? Please tell me. If he is, it's not okay."

They looked at each other, but Scorch was first to speak up, “Pain is what pushes us further. It shows us our breaking points, and let’s us push past them. That’s why we’re the best. Take care of your own squads, and leave the rest to us.” He helped his injured brothers up and back to Vau.

Vau, was now staring at Kaviir with a blank expression.

She turned to glare back at him, it was safe to say she wasn't going to accept whatever he was feeding his boys.

“There’s a line between tending wounds and coddling them, little one.” He spoke up, “Keep going down this path, and your empathy is going to get them killed.”

Her hands balled up into tiny fists,"And there's a difference between training and hurting!" She yelled loudly,"You're just as bad as those stupid giraffes." Her cheeks were red as she turned and ran out of the arena. She wasn't really sure where she was going, but she wasn't going to stay around and be talked down to. She ran for a while until she eventually bumped into a familiar face.

Jango turned around and seemed surprised, “Oh. Kaviir.” He noticed her posture and face and knelt down, “Hey.” He shifted into immediate father mode, “Why the tears?” wiping her cheeks gently as he picked her up.

She rubbed her cheeks, she hadn't even noticed them,"Vau...." Was all she said.

“Yeah…” Jango nodded, “He usually gets that reaction. He’s kind of an ass.”

"Definitely." She nodded

“Want to talk about it?” Jango smiled.

"Maybe...." She sniffled, rubbing her nose.

He chuckled, “Come on. I’ll message Vette that we’re going to talk.” He walked with her back to his quarters where Boba was napping. He sat Kaviir at the nook in the kitchen and grabbed something from their cryofreezer. Grabbing two bowls and two spoons he set it in front of Kaviir. “So… what all happened?”

She explained about the training and the scars and how Vau's boys were acting. Everything she thought was wrong about the entire situation. By the time she was finished she was in tears again, not sobbing, they just fell as she spoke.

Jango sighed and pulled her back into his lap, “It’s okay, this is hard, on all of us.”

"He shouldn't be such an ass." She mumbled, not even bothering to stop herself from swearing.

“No. He shouldn’t be. But some people you can’t change.” Jango sighed, “and I suppose I owe you an apology for that.”

"Why?" She asked, looking up at him confused.

“Vette told you already, didn’t she?” Jango raised an eyebrow, “I handpicked the cuy’val dar myself… including Vau.”

Her brow furrowed as she pouted,"Why him?"

“He saved my life, all of our lives… more times than I can count.” Jango shook his head, “He’s not a good father figure, by any standard, but Kaviir…” his voice sounded pained, he wanted to tell her everything would be alright. But that wasn't true,“These aren’t. The cadets… they’re…” he sighed, not sure of what else to say, “Vau will train those boys to be survivors. I get where Skirata and Vette are coming from, I do… but…”

"None of this is right." Kaviir said softly, her gaze falling down to her hands. They were clenching the hem of her shorts, Jango could feel her shaking,"They shouldn't have to do this....none of them should have to die."

“No one should HAVE to die, but war is like that.” He sighed and pat the girl on the head, “and I know it doesn’t make it better, but they also wouldn’t be alive if weren’t for this situation.”

"Still...." She pouted.

“I’m not saying everything is fine, but you do have an opportunity here, little one.” Jango smiled, “Give them what you can. Let them have some fun while they’re still kids.”

"I'm trying." She frowned,"But Vau's boys should get to be kids too. They're so scared...."

“They are… for now.” Jango nodded, “But it will pass, fear always does.”

"And what's left behind when that's all you have?" She asked looking up at him, her little eyes still brimming with tears.

“A soldier, Kaviir. You have a soldier.” He sighed tiredly. Vette had done well with this kid, she was smart. But he wondered if that was a good thing. Not knowing would probably have been better at her age. But he couldn't fix it now. Instead he popped the can open and revealed what appeared to be a run of ice cream.

She shook her head,"It's not worth it."

“Maybe not, but it’s the only option we have.”

"I'm gonna dye everything that man owns pink." She said blankly

“That would be funny, but maybe avoid the armor.” Jango smiled.

"not the metal, just the under suit." She shrugged,"Powder pigment needs heat to cling to metal."

“Maybe.” Jango chuckled and handed her a spoon.

She frowned and shook her head,"No.... should go back. I feel bad getting sweets while they're getting training."

“I think their training is done.” There was a sudden knocking on the door and Vette stepped through without waiting for Jango to answer. She looked a little roughed up, but was still on her feet.

She walked over to Kaviir and pulled her up into a tight hug,“My baby… are you okay?”

Kaviir frowned looking at the state of her,"Mom? What happened?"

“I taught Vau about why we don’t mess with Mandalorian women, that’s what.” She sighed and looked her daughter over, “Trust me, you should see the other guy.”

She looked at her mom as tears formed again,"I'm sorry...." She whimpered,"I didn't mean for you to get into a fight...."

“Baby, no.” She held Kaviir close and began to lightly bounce her up and down, “You didn’t do anything wrong. You stood up for what you thought was right, and I’m so proud of you.”

"But you got hurt..." She said softly, her little hands clinging to her mother tightly.

“Sometimes people get hurt, sweetheart. Sometimes it’s the people we care about, and you’ll always wonder if you could have done anything to help, but the truth is that there’s not a lot we can do to stop life from moving on.” Vette kissed her daughter on the cheek, “but so long as we keep pushing to do our best, that’s all that matters.”

She nodded, still looking upset,"He's gonna hurt them again isn't he?"

“Probably.” Vette sighed.

"when I get bigger, I'm going to kick his ass for everything he's doing." She huffed.

“You’ll get your chance, sweetheart, but…” she sighed, not bothering to comment on the swearing,“Come on, let’s go check on the boys.”

Kaviir nodded,"They're not upset with me are they?"

“About what?” Vette asked, “Helping them? Vau won’t punish them for something they didn’t do.”

"I don't believe that." She frowned

“Well, believe me then. Because he doesn’t.” Vette smiled.

She nodded quietly.

Vette thanked Jango for finding her. Then carried her all the way back to the barracks and set her down. Jurir and Torch came running up to her, “Hey, you okay?”

She did her best to smile and hide the fact she'd been crying,"Yeah I'm fine."

They seemed concerned at her reaction, “Is it because you didn’t get a turn?” Scorch asked sincerely.

“No, di’kutt.” Jurir slapped him on the back of the head, “It’s because of Vau, I told you he was mean.”

“Hey! I didn’t know and wanted to be sure.” Scorch pouted and rubbed his head.

Vette smiled and gathered them all around her. “Listen up, all of you.” She pulled Kaviir into her lap. Kaviir smiled at them and settled into Vette's lap. Once they all gathered around, Vette began to speak, “You all did well out there. You worked as a team and watched each other’s backs.”

“But we lost.” Tech raised his hand.

“You did, and in doing so, have learned one of the most important lessons in any endeavor. You experienced failure.” Vette began to braid Kaviir’s hair as she spoke, “There will be moments on the field when you have to ask yourself if the mission can be completed by you as you currently are. If the answer is ‘no’ then it would be better for you to fall back and regroup. I don’t want to hear about any heroic sacrifices or useless charges from any of you. It’s okay to experience failure, so long as you learn from it and better yourself to face it next time.”

All of them watched her intently as they she spoke.

“Now, with that being said. I know MANY of you have an issue with Commander Walon Vau. However, you are not to openly antagonize him or his cadets in any way. Understood? If you have an issue with him, or if he approaches you. Disengage from the situation and come find me, alright?”

This made kaviir look a bit bothered. She knew Vette wasn't just talking to the boys. Vette was, in fact, actively looking at Kaviir during that last bit. “Understood?” She reiterated.

The clones all spoke in unison, “Yes, commander.”

Kaviir nodded but didn't say anything.

“Good.” Vette finished her braid and set it over the girls shoulder, “Now. You all have worked hard, so take the rest of the evening to unwind, alright?”

The boys all smiled and went to their bunks. Vette looked back to Kaviir, “If you want to get cleaned up, I can swing you spending the night here with them.”

"Really?" She asked looking up at her,"Can I bring stuff for a pillow fort?"

“I don’t think that’s going to work too well with these types of bunks.” Vette looked up and around, “but I won’t stop you from trying, just make sure to get it all cleaned up when you’re done.”

"Yes ma'am." She nodded and hopped up to go get cleaned up. Vette smiled and went to grab some things for her while she was cleaning up.

After a few minutes kaviir was in her pajamas with a bag of games and a pile of blankets and pillows headed down the hallway to the boys barracks. Her tiny form was basically buried under the bedding as her little feet padded down the hallway, one blanket sort of trailing along the floor behind her. Several Kaminoans stopped and asked if she needed help with anything, as did some of the older clones. But each time she gave them a muffled no as she went along. Eventually she bumped into someone who swore as they fell backwards. It was the boy from earlier, five-five-seven, the one who had been scolded by Vau.

She lost her footing and tumbled on top of him in a pile of fluff as one of the blankets fluttered over the top of them,"Oops!"

The boy caught her with a decent reaction time, “Hey! You okay?”

She blinked looking at him,"Hi, yeah." She straightened herself and gave him a sheepish grin as she pulled the blanket off of them,"You okay? After earlier I mean, I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

He seemed a bit uncomfortable, “Uh, yeah… I’m fine…” he kept glancing to the sides, “and you didn’t get me in trouble.”

Her grin fell as she looked at him softly,"Hey, wanna help me with this? I'll handle any adults if they say anything."

“Umm. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He shook his head.

"Why?" She asked and glanced around for anyone that may be making him nervous. But she couldn't see anyone in the hallway.

“If my commander sees me disobeying orders, I’ll have to start over.” He sighed.

"Start over what?" She asked furrowing her brow confused.

“My laps.” He motioned to the large circular building they were in, “I have to run the perimeter ten times.”

"Why?" She frowned.

“Just part of training.” He shrugged, “My whole squad has to do it.”

"That's really dumb." She shook her head,"what's your name?"

“RC 01-0557.” He stated rather quickly.

"Name, not number." She shook her head

“Oh. I don’t have one.” He replied with a shrug.

"Oh. Do you want one?" She offered genuinely.

He was a bit taken back and confused by her forwardness. “Ummm… I was actually waiting for my squad to give me one. Or my commnader.”

"Fair enough." She nodded, now feeling very awkward,"Sorry. Didn't mean to be pushy."

“It’s okay. Thanks for the offer though. What’s your name?”

"Kaviir." She smiled softly.

“Nice to meet you, Kaviir.” He stood back up and looked around, “I really need to get back to my training.”

She nodded and started gathering her stuff,"Yeah, sorry. If you need anything let me know okay."

“O-okay.” He nodded and started his jog back up.

After she gathered her stuff and made her way to her squad's barracks. When she arrived Jurir and Tech seemed to be talking about something when she walked in. They both looked at her and smiled. Torch ran up to her and looked over the blankets, “Whoa! Where did you get all of these from?”

"My room." She said muffled through the blankets,"We're gonna have a fun night."

“Did Commander Ruusan get these for you?” Torch continued to pester her.

“What can we do to set up?” Jurir smiled.

"Well they're blankets, you get them when you stay somewhere...." She handed him a blanket and some pillows,"We're gonna make a big soft pile in the middle of the room okay? It makes a good spot to spend time together."

“Okay.” They nodded and began to set blankets and pillows where they thought it would be comfortable. Once everyone was settled Kaviir plopped herself down and pulled up her bag,"I brought games."

The boys all looked to each other and then to Kaviir with smiles on their faces. She passed out the devices and let everyone pair up to play. The next few hours were spent with the boys silently laughing and playing together. Jurir looked over to Kaviir and smiled, “Hey, what’s that thing that the commander keeps calling you?”

She looked at him confused,"What thing?"

“A-ad’ika?” Jurir searched his head, “I think that’s how it goes.”

"Oh," she perked up as she realized what he meant,"Kav'ika is what she calls me, Ad'ika is like.... it's something Mandolorians call their kids." She realized she really didn't know how to explain it,"She's always called me that."

“Mandalorian?” They seemed kind of confused.

She paused and looked at them all,"Yeah, that's what Mama is....and Jango...Kal...Vau even though he's shitty at it. They're all Mandolorians."

“What’s that?” Torch tilted his head to the side. Kaviir did her best to explain everything her mom had taught her about Mandolorians. Everything she knew about the culture, the planet, all of it.

“So we’re going to be incredible warriors too once we’re done training?” Kad smiled.

"That's the plan."she nodded with a smile.

“Wait… so what do we call ourselves?” Jurir looked around at his brothers.

"Well..." She paused thinking for a moment,"probably Ner'vod. It means brother."

“Ner’vod.” The boys practiced saying it over and over again. Kaviir smiled softly watching them.

“Hey…” Jurir thought for a moment, “Does this make you ner’vod as well?”

She blinked for a moment,"Well, if you guys want me to be I guess. I'd adopt you all."

“Wouldn’t we be adopting you?” Tech asked, “There’s more of us.”

"Yeah but I'm older." She shrugged

“So?” They all asked in unison.

"That means I get to adopt all of you." She said sticking her tongue out at them.

“But all of our ages together make us older than you.” Torch added with a grin.

"That's not how that works." She shook her head

“Who put you in charge?” Kad huffed.

"Mom." She shrugged,"I'm the big sister."

“Awwww.” They all sighed in unison.

"What?" She giggled

“We wanted to be the ones to adopt you and Commander Ruusan.”

"Fiiine." She relented,"You can adopt us."

“Nono. Rules are rules.” Jurir sighed.

"I mean, this just means you're all part of our clan." She shrugged.

“Clan? What’s that? Like battalion?” Kad scooted closer.

"It's a family." She explained the concept as best she could, how Kal adopted her mom, and her mom adopted her.

“Oh! Like pods brothers!” Torch exclaimed.

"Kinda, yeah." She nodded

They all nodded towards each other and looked back to Kaviir. “So we’re all family now. So what do we do?” tech asked.

"Well, Mom usually hugs and tickles me." She shrugged,"But that may be too silly for you boys."

“Yeah…” Jurir smiled, “Hey! Let’s play hide and seek!”

"Sure." She grinned excitedly.

“Right then. Who wants to go first?” Jurir looked around.

"I'll seek." Kaviir shrugged,"I'm pretty good."

“Maybe you can actually find Kad.” Jurir joked, “None of us have ever been able to find him.”

"Challenge accepted." She grinned

“You’re on.” Kad grinned and threw a blanket over Kaviir.

She threw the blanket off,"Hey!" She giggled

They had all vanished without a sound. With a smile she started looking around, starting with the bunks and any storage areas. Checking the entire room, no one was there to be seen. She narrowed her eyes and started checking vents and any other nooks she could find, but still nothing. As she searched she realized they hadn't set any boundaries. That was probably a mistake. Soon she realized wherever they were, they weren’t in the bunk anymore. Next she pulled on her boots and poked her head out into the hallway. It was empty, but a stray pillow lining the corridor that Torch had been holding gave her a clue she was on the right track.

She narrowed her eyes and looked in the other direction for a moment. Nothing was there, at least not anymore. Taking a chance she went in the opposite direction from the pillow and began searching. There were a few signs that the boys had been there. Further trails led towards the training area and the mess hall. Veering off towards the training room she ducked around a few corners, careful to not be spotted.

The training room was mostly empty, but as she listened closely, heard a sound coming from somewhere. The sound was coming from above her in the rafters. Looking up she found Tech was doing his best to remain silent.

"Tech!" She whispered,"I found you!"

“Yeah yeah…” he sighed and hopped down from the rafters.

She ruffled his hair,"Next time."

He smiled and returned to the bunk room. Back tracking she headed for the mess hall. The mess hall was seemingly empty, but with its size, it needed further investigation. She spent a while looking around and under every table and trash bin. Eventually she found a young Torch hiding underneath a table.

"Found you." She whispered with a grin,"Nice try with the pillow."

“Thanks.” He smiled rather proud of himself.

Kaviir backtracked to the hallway. The hallway had been seemingly cleared of all traces. She pursed her lips and went back to the barracks. The barracks were empty save Torch and Tech who were now passed out on the pile of blankets. She smiled at them and then turned to start wandering the halls looking for any of Jurir and Kad. The only two paths that led down the other end of the hallway were out towards the outer perimeter where it was currently pouring rain, or to the class area. Taking a chance she headed for the classroom first.

The class area was filled with row after row of solid desks. She started looking around each desk, eventually she found Jurir underneath one of the desks, “Darn, I thought I had it this time.” he smirked

"Next time bud." She giggled and fluffed his hair

“Yeah yeah… who do you have left?” He fixed his hair

"Kad." She shrugged

“Oh, have fun with that.” He smiled and made his way back towards the barracks.

She shook her head and headed out towards the perimeter. The perimeter seemed to be empty, unsurprising considering how heavy it was raining. That was until she noticed a familiar boy was wandering the area, not really noticing Kaviir. She furrowed her brow and went over to him. He still didn’t notice her as she came up beside him. She gently tapped his shoulder.

The boy spun around to face her, it wasn’t Kad, but five-five-seven, from before. He sighed as his demeanor changed, “Oh, it’s you.”

She frowned and pulled him out of the rain,"What are you doing out here?"

“Oh, I heard something, and wanted to make sure we weren’t under attack.” He was obviously lying.

She narrowed her eyes at him,"You're a bad liar."

“I’m not lying.” He looked around, probably for an exit.

"If you run I'll just chase you." She said, crossing her arms,"And I'm faster than you."

“I uh… really don’t think you are.” He darted around and took off down the platform.

She rolled her eyes and darted after him. In a moment she was running beside him,"Come on really?"

“Just leave me alone!” He called out through the storm.

"Look, I'm sorry for getting you in trouble." She called following him,"But you shouldn't be out in the rain."

“I’m fine.” He slipped to the right and down a staircase.

She followed him and as they reached the bottom she slipped and toppled forward knocking into him. They rolled, once they stopped she ended up on top of him. Sitting up she sat cross legged on his stomach and rubbed her head,"Ow...." she looked down and blinked as she realized what she was sitting on,"Sorry...."

Kaviir suddenly found a fist hitting her hard in the jaw. The boy's eyes dilated as he shoved her off of him. He took a readied stance. The lightning flashed and she could see all of the scars on his arms and neck. He was in a fight or flight mode at this point.

Rubbing her jaw she looked up at him,"Ow, I'm not Vau di'kutt! I'm not going to hit you. Jeez. I slipped." She hopped up and fixed her pajamas,"Also you punch like a girl."

He shook his head and sighed, “Just go away! I don’t want to be your friend!”

"Why." She asked, crossing her arms and giving him a look. Hearing that from him hurt, he reminded her of her brothers. But he was his own person. And she was determined to help him, even if he hated her for it.

“That’s none of your business.” He mumbled. He walked past her and hid his face, “Just… leave me alone, please.”

"I don't care if it's not my business," She growled and grabbed his arm firmly, but not painfully as he passed. She turned him to face her and looked at him closer. Her grasp on him was firm enough he couldn't just pull away.

“Why do you care?” He refused to look at her.

She turned his face to look at her,"Because, you didn't get a choice in this. And you shouldn't be hurt worse just for taking time to learn." Her eyes were set as she looked him over,"What did he do to you?"

“Nothing… it’s not Commander Vau.” He shrugged her off and started to walk away.

She held onto his arm holding him in place,"Who was it then?"

“It’s the Kaminoans.” Vau’s voice called from the top of the stairs. His helmet was off and he was staring at her with tired eyes, “I’m sure you’re mother tried to keep it from you, but you’ve got to find out anyway. The Kaminoans only provide the best in terms of ‘product’. Anything below their standards gets cut.”

The cadet pushed Kaviir’s arm off and went to stand next to Vau. The older man continued to talk, “We’re not here to give these kids a childhood, it’s too late for that, it’s in their genetic coding. I’m here to keep them alive, and the best way to do that is to keep them as far above that line as possible. So keep shooting your glares at me, little one, all you’re doing is confirming that I’m doing my job.”

She did indeed shoot him another glare,"They age faster than anyone else. In a year they won't get the chance for a childhood!" She yelled angrily,"Giving them a few days now isn't going to drop them."

“In the real world, you might be right.” Vau donned his helmet, “but Kamino is a whole other world.” He looked to the cadet, “Get back to your bunk five-five-seven. We’ll continue in the morning, without interruptions.”

"Continue what?" Kaviir asked crossing her arms

“His training. What else?” Vau spun to leave, “I suggest you get back to your ‘pillow fort’ little one. Your ner’vod are waiting for you.”

"You're an ass." Kaviir spat at him as she walked away. She huffed and went back to the barracks, red in the face and soaked to the bone. Jurir and the boys, including Kad, were waiting for her. They all ran up to her and immediately seeing the state she was in.

“Hey? Are you okay?” Jurir frowned

She squeezed the water out of her hair,"I'm going to become the biggest thorn in that asshole's boot." She grumbled and plopped on the floor to pour some water out of her shoe.

“What happened?” Jurir asked while handing her multiple towels.

She grabbed one and aggressively dried her hair,"Vau.... being....an....ass...." She said between shakes. Her hair was a mess when she pulled off the towel. "I really hate him." She growled and started drying her clothes. She sniffled and rubbed her nose,"Asshole."

“Asshole?” Torch tilted his head, “What’s that mean?”

She paused and looked at them,"Uh... it's a bad word for people who are mean.... maybe don't say it around mom."

“But how is it a bad word if you only use it on mean people?” He scratched his head.

"That..." She paused for a moment looking just as confused,"...is an excellent question. Mom never explained that."

“Point is…” Jurir moved next to Kaviir to try to help her out, “Don’t use it, okay?”

The others looked at each other and nodded.

"Seriously though," she sniffled again,"Vau sucks."

“True.” Kad nodded, “but you can’t argue, his cadets do best us most of the time.”

"Doesn't matter when he treats them like droids." She huffed,"What's the point in survival when there's nothing left of you to live. They can't have fun, I've never seen them smile. It's irritating."

Kad thought for a moment, “I don’t know.” He shrugged, “Just making a point.”

"Sorry." She sighed,"He gets under my skin." Then she sniffled again followed by a sneeze, she wiped her nose,"Ugh...."

“What’s wrong?” Jurir looked up to her.

"caught a cold from the rain." She groaned,"Vau is a jerk. He had that poor kid out in the rain doing who knows what."

Jurir pat her on the shoulder, “Come on, we need to get you dried off and under the covers.”

"Mom has all my clean clothes." She sighed

“Well then let’s go see the commander.” Jurir smiled.

She nodded and hopped up, wobbling a little.

Jurir and the squad helped her back to Vette’s quarters. She was in the middle of brewing something warm and smelling of cinnamon. But when the door opened to show her sopping wet daughter and four confused cadets, she immediately rushed over to Kaviir and pressed her hand to the girls forehead, “What happened? Why are you soaking wet?”

"Weeelll......" She started and explained everything about the game and finding the cadet outside. "I really don't like Vau.'

Vette sat Kaviir on her lap and was rubbing her temple with an expression that read, ‘This is going to be the next ten years of my life, isn’t it?’

“Kav’ika… please… I know you don’t like Vau, I get it.”

"He's a jerk." She crossed her arms and sniffled again.

Vette was ready to give Kaviir a lecture, but couldn’t stand to be upset with her daughter sniffling and shivering in her arms. She sighed wrapped her daughter up, “Come on, let’s get you into a warm bath.”

"Sorry." She whispered as they went into the bathroom,"I just couldn't do nothing while he was out in the cold...."

“Mi ad’ika.” Vette kissed her forehead as she drew the girl a bath, “Don’t ever apologize for wanting to help people, but you need to learn that there’s a time and place.” She smiled.

"And a small child in the rain isn't?" She asked

“It usually is, but you had no idea Vau was there, what if he had jumped you? You could have gotten hurt?” Vette sounded rather concerned about all of this.

"I wouldn't put it past him to." She huffed then sneezed,"He looked so scared."

“Kaviir… there’s something you need to know, I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry about them, but, it’s time you know the truth.”

She frowned,"...I already worry. How much worse could it get."

“Kaviir… if the boys don’t maintain a good enough standing. They’ll be taken and… terminated.” Vette sighed, “I read up on that one from Vau’s squad. He’s got a stunted growth. The Kaminoans already want to terminate him, but Vau is at least giving the kid a chance.” She began to wash the girls hair, “I know that doesn’t make up for anything, and your right, Vau is NOT a kind man, but please… let him get that boy past the line before you start doing anything.”

She didn't say anything, but Vette heard small drops hitting the water.

“Shhh.” Vette washed her hands off before turning the girl around and wiping her tears, “It’s okay. Nothing will happen to them.”

"That's why he's mad at me...." She sobbed,"....I didn't know...."

“No no.” Vette pulled the girl in, soaking wet and all and kissed her forehead, “He’s not mad at you, he just needs to focus.”

"No...mom he's mad at me." She sobbed

“Why do you say that?” She sounded concerned.

"He doesn't want to be around me." She whimpered

“It’s okay, baby.” She finished cleaning her off and toweled her down, “Sometimes people say things they don’t really mean when they’re stressed out. You can’t always focus on what you mean when you're in weird situations.”

She nodded silently and wiped her eyes,"Can I still stay with the boys tonight?"

“How about… we let the boys stay here, eh?” She ruffled the girls hair and cheeks and began to pepper her with kisses, “But only if we can get a big smile, okay?”

She giggled and smiled as she wiped her cheeks,"Okay okay!"

“I don’t know, that doesn’t seem good enough. You could just be faking it.” Vette laughed again and began to poke Kaviir.

She wiggled and whined,"Mooom!"

“Alright.” She smiled, “Well, thanks to my magical mom powers. I already knew you’re request, and had the boys go grab all the blankets while you were getting cleaned up. So they’re already waiting. Now get your pajamas on, okay?“

"Kay!" She nodded and went to get dressed

Vette leaned against the doorway and waited for her. Once she was decent and dried off. She opened the fresher room and watched the boys all tackle Kaviir into a dogpile.

She giggled and hugged them all,"Well hi."

“We were told this might help.” Jurir mumbled from underneath his brothers.

"It does." She smiled and squeezed them all tight

“Alright, you all.” Vette smiled, “Time for bed.” She clapped her hands

"Not," she sneezed,"...yet..." Then she pouted,"...okay maybe..."

“This isn’t a vote, Kav’ika.” She smiled, “Go to bed.”

The boys all nestled into their blankets and began calling out to each other, “Good night, ner’vod.”

This made Vette pause for a moment as she listened. She began to lightly tremble as she turned around for a brief moment, her eyes were watery as she smiled towards all of them. “Jante nuhoy, mhi ak’ikas.” She smiled before returning to her room.

Kaviir sat up once she was gone and motioned them all to scoot closer. By the time Vette came in in the morning, they were all curled up cuddling in one big pile of blankets.

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

Star Wars Master Post

Clone Adoption Agency Navigation

[mamuzzy]

What is considered child mistreatment in Mandalorian culture (legends)?

I was inspired by this post but I didn't want to ruin a mood with my AcKcHuYaLlY vibes so I made a separate post about it.

While I agree with a sentiment of Cuy'val Dar should have rioted seeing children being mistreated, given they are a very heavily family and child centered culture, I've just recently read a few quotes from Republic Commando which made me wonder...

what is considered child mistreatment in their culture?

Because training children to be soldiers are not one. It is a perfectly normal thing to do for them.

What you will read here about: -- Potential reasons why the Cuy'val Dar didn't refuse the job -- Relationship of a Mando parent and their child: How Munin Skirata adopted Kal and with it giving him a predetermined path of life -- Little detour to the topic of how modernday parents don't include children in the household chores -- Pav-Ti and Ahsoka -- Walon Vau and Dred Priest's approach -- Kal Skirata's approach of training -- Little about Mandos and Jedi -- Sorry (not really), people. I still love Kal. -- I won't tag this as anti/pro/critical fandom fuckery. Only a Sith deaIs in absolutes.

Rest is under the cut.

Why would Cuy'val Dar accept such assignment in the first place?

So why didn't they say no? 1. Loyalty and Respect for Jango Fett 2. In need of money 3. Needed a place to hide 4. It could be HONOUR: If a mando bounty hunter accepts a job, they won't back down from it. That's why they are the best. A mandalorian either completes the job or they die in the process (see: Hard Contact). 5. Child soldiers are nothing out of place.

But the latter is debatable, depending on which bounty hunter you ask. Kal was horrified when he was presented with the facts. Scene from Triple Zero, where Kal realizes what Jango is expecting of him:

Jango Fett indeed didn't tell them the whole truth. I'm pretty sure there would have been people who would have accept it anyway. But I'm also sure most of them were conned this way.

We even know Kal's reason of accepting the job.

He didn't have any outside ties anymore that required his physical presence, so at this point he could just accept a decade long assignment.

And when he met the Nulls, he gave himself a purpose out of this nightmare. Raising these children as Mandalorians.

But where this is come from? From Kal's own buir.

Another quote about how Munin adopted Kal.

Awfully practical people. But also, compassionate. Kal is guided by the same compassion as his buir.

Overprotected children of our modern age

Family centric and child centric views are really distorted today which is about overprotecting kids from literally everything. Even from basic household chores: a parent who is too tired and impatient for their child constantly making mistakes during learning a task, so they simply take it out from the child's hand and doing it instead, because teaching them comes with much more mess to clean up, therefor more work for the parent. Children won't learn that helping out around the house can be a quality time with the parent, because most parents don't consider being together with their children a quality time. This later leads to those awful fights between a teenager who never helps around the house on their own only when asked/ordered. Children are glorified exotic pets, one task from a bucket list or worst, investments. But part of the family? Less likely. Not unconditionally.

PAV-TI AND AHSOKA

If you think about Ahsoka's backstory in the Tales of the Jedi, her mother also brought her on the hunt and made her look when she skinned the animal. Teaching her that death is a part of life and even when they take resources from the nature, they should do it with respect. Pav-Ti was already teaching her to be a part of their small community.

I think Mando culture is the same: they involve their children in their profession from early age. Probably teaching your children how to kill for money is not exactly ethical by our earthling standards. Regardless, they do it together. Little mando'ade won't go to school, they spend their time with the family and learning skills they will need if they choose the same profession and lifestyle as their parents.

PRACTICES OF VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE CUY'VAL DAR

So that's why I think that even if the members of the Cuy'Val Dar had seconds thoughts, training child soldiers are nothing out of ordinary. I can't speak for the remaining non-mando trainers what was in their mind.

But when Dred Priest and Isabeth Beau started their own little figthing rings in the guise of "preserving the old ways", it was really considered fucky even among the other mando trainers Death Watch couple-goals: torture children together <3. Dred Priest despised the clone cadets and they actually died under his care and this is one of the reason why Mij Gilamar killed Priest later in the books.

Walon Vau wasn't introduced to mando values until he ran away from home as an adult, but his abusive upbringing shaped his worldview on how he trained the cadets. Strict codes and harsh punishments. He had his regrets of it later.

From O66, Walon Vau to Kal Skirata

Love has many shapes. Vau wanted them to survive because he loved them. But loving them and treating them good/bad is not the same.

We know about Kal that he taught by experience. He never gave an assignment to his cadets before he first showed them how to do it.

And then we have these notorious parts of him regarding the clones which can be interpreted so many ways but often used as the evidence as child abuse:

And this one also:

(sometimes I throw my brain outtaaa windoooOOooOooOow what people call abusive these days...)

What is my stance about this particular passage? I think he didn't abuse the clones. He wanted them to survive too. He wanted to make it easier for them which was really hard considering the circumstances. He wanted to be a father to the clones like Munin was to him.

We saw the differences between Omega Squad and Delta Squad. The Delta first left Walon Vau behind because they were ordered to do so. Delta left Sev behind because they were ordered to do so. As far as we know, no one deserted from the Empire from Vau's commandos. They remained loyal to the Republic/Empire. Darman could have been with his son and with Clan Skirata but he choose to remain with Niner in the Empire. He remained loyal not the empire, not even Kal Skirata but his brother. Just like Kal thaught them.

What makes them different from the jedi and at the same time so similiar?

The Jedi seek out force sensitive children to teach them how to control this power within them and make sure, they won't use it for personal gain. And later, when they grow up, they will do the same.

Mandos take pity over war orphans (usually that's the case), take them into their clan of soldiers and they teach them a profession and one day, they can do the same.

Both faction are doing it, guided by the same principle: COMPASSION.

Jedi are practicing compassion toward every living, while Mando compassion is just much more personal on the individual level.

Dialogue from Imperial Commando between Arligan Zey and Kal Skirata. I think this baby stealing prejudice comes from that force sensitive children are separated from their parents and all this goes against the family centric view of the mandalorians where family is above all and the children are only safe with their families.

In conclusion...

My personal take after this little research that Mando trainers didn't abuse children, not in their own mandalorian standards. I say this because of Dred Priest who was condemned for actually hurting his cadets, forcing them to fight against each other, and lots of them actually died.

After the failed experiences with the Nulls, the kaminoans and trainers didn't expose the clones to live rounds and bombs until so much later, that's why the commandos and Alpha-class ARCs feel much more balanced in their phyche.

I think Walon Vau abused his cadets but he justified it with love.

Kal made them to do horrible exercises and said a lot of shitty things to the clones (though I think it's kind of like when you call your cat a whore out of affection) but overall he tried to make their suffering bearable.

[wantonlywindswept]

CC Aurek Batch + 1

wanted to write some command batch shenanigans with a side of Just Slightly Weird. are they force-users? fae? eldritch creatures? i have no idea!

obligatory mandoa meanings, tho I use them as names so it doesn’t really matter, and it’s clarified who is who later on:

Mirdala: clever, smart

Edee: jaws, teeth

Kote: glory

Buirkan: responsibility

Gettse: courage, nerve

---

"Why is it," Alpha-17 sighed, "That whenever stupid shit happens, it's always you five?"

Every member of CC Batch Aurek blinked at him in unison, wearing the same identical expressions of innocence.

Creepy.

"Sorry, sir," Mirdala lied, like the little liar that he was. 

"Didn't mean to cause problems, sir," Edee also lied.

Kote opened his mouth but Alpha held up a hand, stopping him from speaking. Kote was a terrible liar. It was embarrassing. Alpha had completely failed in teaching that one any kind of subtlety, and did not need a reminder of the reason for Fordo's constant mockery.

"Alright," he said, "Show me the poor cadet you kidnapped."

"I wasn't kidnapped," a young, mulish voice said from behind the perfectly-arrayed line of teenage CCs. "I came on purpose."

"Yes, I'm sure they gave you the option of refusing," Alpha drawled. He glanced pointedly toward Buirkan, who at least had the decency to look somewhat guilty about it. "Go on, move."

The quintet shuffled uncertainly, holding out just a little longer before finally parting to reveal the cadet tucked behind Kote and Gettse, gently pushing him forward. Alpha'd had his suspicions about why Aurek decided to openly lay claim on a CT, and the blond roots in the kid's hair certainly explained some of it.

"CT-7567, sir," the cadet said, snapping to attention. His salute was a little shaky, but Alpha didn't often interact with the CTs, and the rumors of him being an asshole were--well, true, but at least a little overblown.

When the cadet stopped there, offering nothing else, Alpha turned his attention to Aurek with a pointed, judgemental frown.

Kote stepped forward and wrapped an arm around the kid's shoulders.

"His name is Rex," Kote said proudly, with the smugness of someone who'd clearly won naming rights, going by the disgruntled looks from his batchers. 

"He's one of Us," Edee added, belligerent, as if that was enough to excuse the five of them causing chaos and abducting a CT from the cadet barracks in broad fucking daylight. But Alpha heard the emphasis, and--

Well. That was enough.

The thing that not a lot of people knew--or if they did, they shut their damned mouths about it--was that the very first batch of CC-class clones decanted came out...odd.

'Unsettling,' had been the word Mij Gilamar used, said without rancor, unlike the reactions from some of the other trainers. 'Unnatural,' was what Walon Vau called them. Isabelle Reau said that they were 'horrible little abominations', and while Alpha cared exactly fuck-all about what Reau and Priest had to say, he still made sure that Aurek never ended up near their illicit battle circles. 

Jango Fett had watched them for a single training session, face growing steadily darker as they demolished the shooting range, and then he'd turned heel and left without a word. 

Alpha was pretty sure that was just because they were already close to beating his scores. Sucks to suck, Prime.

There was nothing psychologically, physically, or genetically wrong about Aurek--that the Kaminoans could prove, anyway--and all five were clearly on track to be high-ranked soldiers whenever the war finally started. 

But they were, admittedly, really fucking weird sometimes.

"That true?" Alpha asked the cadet. "You're one of them?"

Now that he looked, he could see the similarities between Rex and the rest of Aurek: the little CT was already synced with them, breathing and blinking in time. His eyes bore the same unnatural intensity, and Alpha wondered if he would also be able to locate the others no matter how far away they were.

Rex nodded, a pleased smile breaking across his face. It didn't seem like he smiled that often.

"Yeah!" he said enthusiastically. "I'm one of them, and they're one of me, and we're all gonna be together now."

Rex looked up at Kote, who smiled besottedly down at him.

"This is Cody!" he said. 

"And this is Gree," he said, patting Gettse's arm.

"That's Bly," he said, nodding toward Buirkan.

"And those're Fox and Wolffe," he said, pointing at Mirdala and Edee.

Alpha took in the newly-named Aurek batch with raised eyebrows. They couldn't quite mask their happiness at the new monikers, and Bly stepped forward, meeting Alpha's gaze.

"We will always treasure the names you gave us," he said earnestly, as if Alpha was some tubie in need of reassurance, "But we gave him his name, and he wanted to give us something back."

It wasn't as if the clones had possessions, after all, and names were one of the few things that the Kaminoans couldn't take away. 

Alpha scoffed and cuffed Bly in the side of the head.

"I'm not offended, you little brat," he said, "And I'll still call you what I damn well want."

Bly just beamed at him, pleased, and Alpha rolled his eyes. He pushed Bly back into the circle of his batchers and their new plus-one, and if there was any kind of gentleness in his touch, he would deny it until he died.

"Meet up for training tomorrow at the usual time," he ordered, "And bring the kid with you."

Grins all around. 

"Sir, yes sir!"

[vodika-vibes]

Love your writing

I was wondering if you could write a Vau daughter x one of Kal Null boys maybe ordo or mereel because the family functions wouldn't function

Satisfied

Summary: You’re the long estranged niece of Walon Vau, your father having cut him out of his life, and yours, after his carelessness caused you to lose a leg. However, when you graduate medical school, Kal Skirata reaches out to you to offer you a job, and you, happily, take the chance.

Pairing: Ordo Skirata x F!Reader

Word Count: 1237

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I hope it's close to what you wanted. I already had an idea for a Vau daughter as a character, I just had no ideas to write her, so I put her here. Also, I was listening to the Hamilton Soundtrack when I wrote this, hence the title.

“Welcome to my humble home,” Kal Skirata greets you with a kind smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners as you step down the ramp and over to him, “I’m glad you agreed to take the position.”

You shrug, “Mother and Father were irate. They’re rather done with Mandalorians, I’m afraid.”

“Well, that’s understandable, given the situation.”

“True. As it happens, I have no interest in seeing my uncle, so-”

“He’s not here. And I haven’t told him that I hired you.”

A bright smile crosses your face, “Then there shouldn’t be a problem. You said you had a situation that you were hoping that I would be able to fix? On top of being a proper doctor for your sons?”

“Exactly so,” Kal motions for you to walk with him, “How much do you know about the boys I adopted?”

“Not much,” You say as you easily fall into step with him, “Other than the fact that they’re clones of Jango Fett.”

“They are,” He leads you through the base, “They have sped up aging, which means, as a whole, they have maybe twenty years before they start dying of old age.”

“Well, I can understand why you want that fixed.” You murmur thoughtfully, “I don’t suppose you have any information from Kamino-?”

Kal chuckles, “If I had that I wouldn’t need you, would I?”

You sigh, “Well, there was no harm in asking, I suppose.”

Kal leads you to a door, “Here we are. Your suite. And your lab is just down the hall.” He hands you a keycard, and you wave it in front of the lock, allowing the door to slide open.

The suite is large, with a full kitchen and a separate bedroom, looking more like an apartment than anything else. It’s not decorated, but you can work with that. You’ll order some paint and make it yours, when you have some free time. 

“Is there anything you need?”

You set your bag on the coffee table, “Can I see my lab?”

“You don’t want to get settled?”

“Well, I have to wait for my stuff to get delivered anyway, so I might as well take a look at what I have to work with.” You reply with a shrug.

“Of course, follow me.” Kal leads you down the hall and to the lab, and you scan the room with an expert eye. Large, open, clean. 

Yes. You can work with this.

There’s a man on the other side of the room, setting up a computer. “Ah,” Kal smiles and guides you over to him, “This is one of my sons.” He says to you, “Ordo, meet the new doctor.” Kal introduces you by name, and you’re not surprised at the way Ordo’s face twitches when he hears your surname.

“Walon Vau is my father’s older brother,” You explain as you scan his face, your head tilted to the side, “It’s uncanny. When you said clones, I thought that they just used Fett as a template and randomized his DNA, not actual duplicates.”

“That is what ‘clone’ means, ad’ika.” Kal replies, amused, and you wave his comments away.

“If I recall correctly, Jango Fett was predisposed to asthma-”

“That’s not a concern. All of the Clones were genetically altered so that they don’t have to worry about that kind of stuff.” Kal replies.

You fold your arms, “Well, that’s going to make my life so much more difficult.” You tilt your head back and think for a moment, “No matter, I’ll make it work.”

Ordo frowns at you, “I suppose, since you’re here, we’ll be getting more visits by Vau.”

“Well, if he shows up, feel free to shoot him…or whatever.” You say dismissively, “He’s not allowed near me. Legally speaking.” You wander off to look at your new toys, “Ah, I almost forgot,” You turn to look at Kal, “My leg isn’t going to be a problem, is it? I’m testing a prototype prosthetic for the next couple of months.”

“It won’t be a problem,” Kal says.

“Grand.” You turn your gaze back to the lab, “This looks great, actually. It’s kind of big, for one person, but If I need to use my chair for whatever reason, there will be plenty of room.”

“Great,” Kal walks over to you, “Do you need anything else?”

“...blood samples. From every clone on base.” You pause, “And everyone else.”

He narrows his eyes at you, “Why?”

“Comparisons. Unless you have a vial of Jango Fett’s unaltered blood on hand?”

“...I do not.”

“I didn’t think so.” You smile at him, “So…blood. From everyone.”

Kal sighs, “Yes ma’am.”

It’s been a year since you’ve started working for Kal Skirata, and, all things considered, you don’t have a bad life. 

You’re busy, sure.

But your work is important, and, all things considered, you love it. 

You glance to the side as the door to your lab slides open, and Ordo steps into the room.

“Still working, mesh’la?”

“Always,” You spin your stool so you’re facing him, “What brings you to my humble lab, Ordo?”

Ordo eyes one of your machines, which is covered in rubber ducks, “Humble. Right.”

“Hey! The machine won’t work unless the ducks are all there.” You say with a defensive frown.

Ordo shoots you an amused look, “Of course it won’t.” He crosses the room to your side, “I’m here, mesh’la, because someone decided to skip lunch.”

“...it’s only…”

“Dinner starts in 30 minutes.”

“...ah.” You pause, “In my defense, I thought I was onto something.”

“You’ve already cured the enhanced aging.” Ordo replies as he prods you to your feet with gentle touches.

“Well…yes. But! I could cure it better!” You say.

Ordo circles you and tugs your lab coat off, before he tosses it over your desk, “You’re not curing anything until you eat. Come on.”

“But…but…Ordo!”

“Don’t you ‘but Ordo’ me. You, little miss, passed out three weeks ago because you forgot to eat four meals in a row.” Ordo says, “Which means you now have a babysitter, in the form of me.”

“...I don’t remember that.”

“Yeah. Because you were unconscious.” He lightly pushes you out of the lab, and you turn so you’re walking backwards, and his hands land on your shoulders, “Mesh’la-”

“Does this mean that we’re going on a dinner date?” You ask, with a bright grin.

Ordo laughs, “You are relentless about going on a date with me, aren’t you?”

You grin at him, unrepentantly. 

He leans in, “If it’ll get you to eat, Mesh’la, then yes. We can call this a date. Though, neither of our families will approve.”

“I don’t care about what my family thinks. And your family likes me well enough.” You counter, “And, I love you, so-”

Ordo averts his gaze, “How you can say that so easily-”

“Because it’s true!”

“I believe you.” Ordo looks at you again, and smiles softly before he kisses your forehead, “I…” He pauses, “I care about you too.”

You grin at him, and pop up on your toes to kiss his jaw, “So. Dinner? I have nice pasta in my suite that I can make while we watch a movie?”

Ordo presses his hands against your cheeks and squishes them, “You’re impossible. You’re lucky you’re cute.”

You beam at him.

“Yes, fine. But I want some of that cheesy bread you made last week, if I have to eat pasta.”

“Deal!”

[setokaibapetty]

Fic Friday 5 + 1 Roundup: Same Boat

Some fics where there are multiple time travelers/reincarnations/etc.

The Sun Rises Again (AO3) - "With her prior memories still vivid in her mind, Elia sets out to prevent the events that led to the deaths of thousands while never forgetting who was at fault for the deaths of her children. But she isn't the only one."

The Road to Victory (AO3) - "Too late in preparing for the Night King and the Long Night, the last stand at Winterfell is close to falling. Bran takes desperate measures to ensure victory, and Jon, Sansa, and Arya pay the price for it in a time unfamiliar to them, on the cusp of another war."

One Hundred Hours to Arrange the Stars (AO3) - "Jango Fett expected several things from this hunt on Galidraan. Three hypothermic Jedi children stumbling into his camp was not one of those things."

Jat'ca'nara (AO3) - "Kal Skirata is on Kamino. Walon Vau is on Kamino. This would be normal, except that they're both pretty sure they were at Kyrimrout the previous day."

Star Crossed Separatist (AO3) - "Days after the First Battle of Geonosis, a nerd from another reality finds that she's woken up in a galaxy far, far away. Can she save the Confederacy of Independent Systems from itself, or will fate conspire against her?"

Bonus: Sea Shanties (AO3) - "SI/OC fic for One Piece. They are not all necessarily related, but some of them are entwined. You don't need to read the companion piece to understand the other."