[Legacy Of The Force] - 08(68)

It all sounded so reasonable. She couldn’t hate her brother; she’d just seen how it could happen.

But Beviin stopped. Jacen hasn’t. And if I can learn to do that - I’ll have to learn to stop, too.

And Beviin was just an ordinary human, with no Force powers to exploit, just his hands and whatever mundane weapons he could use.

“You still held back, anyway, “he said suddenly. “If I’d had Force powers, I’d have used them, too.”

Tell me they’re not telepaths. Please. “You have no idea, “she said, “how much you’re teaching me.”

Medrit was standing at the table with his arms folded when they got back. Dinua, Jintar, and the two kids were chattering in Mandalorian-Mand’oa-and seemed excited. The kids were instantly riveted when they saw Jaina.

“Ahhhh, she’s got a cut on her nose!” Shalk gasped, fascinated. “Wow!”

“Loose helmet, “Beviin said, washing his hands in the duraplast bowl on the counter. “And I’m going to be covered in bruises tomorrow. Fett can have her back before she does me some permanent damage.’

Medrit sliced the nerf joint with pretty impressive violence himself. “You showed her your no-prisoners.”

“Nasaad murci’t!” Shalk said. “No prisoners!”

“Jedi use reasonable force, “said Beviin. “With a small f. It’s not good for them.”

Dinua laughed. This was the one who had fought Yuuzhan Vong at fourteen. She could afford to. “The trouble with getting attached to Jedi, Buir, is that it’s like making pets of the nerfs and nuna-really upsetting when you have to slaughter them.”

Everyone laughed. Jaina managed to as well, a little stung, but that was just their humor. Nothing personal; no worse than all the head-rolling jokes her father had made about Jango Fett’s demise. They ate heartily, totally at ease with her.

“If you ever get a Force-using Mandalorian, “she asked carefully, “how would they be treated?”

“They’d be in demand for getting stuck lids off cans, “Medrit said. “Or improving crop yields.”

None of them reacted as if they knew what she was getting at. She was being eaten by her desperate curiosity faster than she was devouring the chunks of nerf and veg-etables. “Who are Venku and Gotab? Why that armor?”

“Oh, Venku…” Beviin put down his fork. “Kad’ika. Dearest we have to a political agitator. He’s the one who’s been pushing the Mandalore-First agenda for years. You know, let the galaxy find some other dumb mercenaries to die for it. We’ll stay home, look after our own, strengthen the Mandalore sector, and laugh.”

“And the armor?”

“Tradition. Extreme version. We often wear a plate of a loved one’s armor after they die, sometimes during their lifetime, too. He wears his whole family.’”

“He’s nuts, “Jintar muttered.

“He’s right, “said Beviin.

“Yeah, he’s right as long as the new beskar ore lasts.”

“Fett listens to him, Jin’ika.”

All families were alike at meals. Jaina’s mind was now a blur of new and disorienting combat tactics, political argument, wondering if it was polite to grab an extra slice of nerf, and wanting to weep because she remembered Aunt Mara.

“And Gotab?” she said casually.

“One of the Kyrimorut wild men, like Venku, “Beviin said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t even ask what they do up there. They keep apart. They come and go, but they’re there when we need them to fight, so no questions asked. Fair bit of Fett clone blood up there, because the place was a haven for deserters during the wars. Like Venku’s dad, I assume. Now Fett says Gotab’s a Kiffar. He read the heart-of-fire stone. Kiffar-Sintas is Kiffar, too.” If only he knew.

“Can all Jedi do healing?” Dinua asked. Jaina shrugged. “We can heal ourselves, but some Jedi are better than others at healing other people.”

“You’d be so useful…”

Jaina had to put on the mental brakes to see what was happening. Mandalorians were compulsive adopters, and not just of kids. They seemed to want to collect skills, qual-ities, technology, any advantage that wasn’t nailed down. And it was all too easy to let them. Maybe that was how Gotab had found himself stranded here in a metal suit.

“So…” She was piecing it together now. “What happened to the Jedi you fought with in the Vong War?”

“Kubariet, “Medrit said, looking sad for a moment. “He’s dead. I wonder how many folks know even now that we fought secretly for the New Republic.”