Jusik became sober again. “Our code was written when we were peacekeepers. We’ve never fought a war, not like this, not using others. And that changes everything. So I shall remain attached, because my heart tells me it’s right. If remaining a Jedi means that is incompatible, then I know the choice I’ll make.”
“You’ve made it,” Etain said.
“And so have you.” He made a vague gesture in the direction of her belly. “I can sense as much. I know you too well now.”
“Don’t.”
“This is going to be very difficult for both of you, Etain.”
“Darman doesn’t know yet. You’re not to mention it to anyone. Promise me.”
“Of course I won’t. I owe Darman a great deal. All of the men, in fact.”
“You’re going to kill yourself trying to live up to them.”
“Then that’s fine by me,” said Jusik.
Jusik didn’t want to be a peacemaker. If the Force hadn’t manifested itself in him, he could have been a scientist, an engineer, a builder of astonishing things. But he wanted to be a soldier.
And Etain had to be one, too, whether she wanted to or not, because her troops needed her to be one. But as soon as the war was over, she would leave the Jedi Order and follow a harder but sweeter destiny.
Skirata set the green speeder down on the landing platform with a certain amount of satisfaction. He’d get Enacca to change the color and make it disappear from the licensing system, but that was routine work for her. She was furious at having to pick up so many of the team’s speeders, sometimes abandoned when they had no choice, but a few extra credits would soothe her.
Vau eased out of the hatch on the passenger’s side and Mird loped up to him, rumbling and whining happily.
“I’m going to treat myself to a glass of tihaar,” Skirata said. “If the strill wants to sleep inside tonight, it’s welcome.”
“I might join you in that drink.” Vau scooped Mird, up in his arms again. “Not a textbook operation by any means, but the men put a decent dent in the opposition in a very short time.”
It almost felt like a civilized relationship. It felt that way right up to the moment the doors opened and they almost stumbled over Fi. He held out both arms as a barrier.
“Sarge, Atin’s in a foul mood.” He turned to Vau, who set Mird down on the carpet and removed his helmet. “I don’t think you should go near him, Sergeant Vau.”
Vau just lowered his chin slightly and looked resigned. “Let’s get it over with.”
“No–”
“Fi, this is between me and him.”
Skirata’s immediate instinct was to intervene, but this time he suspected Vau would come off worse, and that had a certain sense of justice to it. While he respected the man’s skill and integrity, he loathed him at a gut level for his brutality. And for him, that erased all the virtues in Vau.
He said he did it for their own good: it was to reinforce their Mando identity, to save their lives, to save their souls. His lads even believed it. Skirata never would.
“I’ve been waiting, Sarge,” said Atin’s voice.
Skirata pulled Fi back. Ordo and Mereel, still working on neutralizing the booby-trapped thermal plastoid, looked up, wary, waiting for his signal to get involved. He gave them a discreet shake of the head. Not yet. Leave it.
Atin wore his right gauntlet and his bodysuit. He extended the vibroblade from the knuckle plate and held his fist up at his shoulder, then sheathed the blade.
“If that strill starts on me, I’ll take it out, too.”
It was a side of Atin that Skirata had never seen before, but one that Vau had built. It was the little bit of Jango, the gene that said Stand and fight, don’t run, another genetic tendency that could be nurtured and developed and trained into something much bigger than itself.
Vau held his arms at his sides and looked genuinely frustrated. Atin never understood why he’d done it. And neither did I, Skirata thought. You save a man from being dar’manda by teaching him his heritage, not by making him into a wild animal.
Vau’s voice had softened. “You had to be Mando, Atin. If I didn’t make you Mando, you might as well have been dead, because you wouldn’t exist as a Mando ad, not without your spirit and your guts.” He was almost apologetic. “You had to be able to cross that threshold and be ready to do absolutely anything to win. Fierfek, if stupid Jedi hadn’t used you as infantry on Geonosis, every single one of my commando batch would be alive today. I made you hard men because I cared.”
Skirata was glad Vau didn’t use the word love. He’d have put his own knife in the man’s guts if he had. He stood clear, hauling Fi away by his arm, and Atin surged forward to seize Vau by his shoulder plates and head-butt him. Vau staggered back a few steps, blood pouring from his nose, but didn’t go down. Mird squealed frantically and went to defend its master but Vau sent it back with a hand command.