[Republic Commando] - 03(173)

“Munit tome’tayl, skotah’iisa,” Skirata said. Long memory, short fuse: it was the Mandalorian character, they said. “I’d hate Kamino to forget us.”

But maybe, one day, they could forget Kamino.

“I’ll get Jaing and Ordo.” Mereel took out a vibroblade.

-This is a job a long time in the planning.”

Mereel didn’t elaborate, and Skirata didn’t ask. He took Vau’s elbow and steered him outside.

Ko Sai wasn’t the only person Skirata didn’t know quite as well as he felt he should.



Besany Wennen’s apartment, Coruscant, 547 days after Geonosis

Besany always took her blaster with her when she answered the door these days, and she didn’t open it until she’d run all the security scans that Ordo and Mereel had installed for her. But today it was just Kal Skirata who showed up, carrying something in his arms.

“Sorry, Kal,” she said. “I always expect you to show up on the landing pad, like Ordo does.”

“I didn’t want to panic you.” He indicated the bundle with a nod. “Not with this little fella on board.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were carrying a-oh my, you are. It’s a baby …”

Skirata took a deep breath and laid the bundle of blankets-plain pearl gray, very soft-on her sofa, then leaned over it and peeled the layers of fabric away with slow care. “Isn’t he beautiful?” His voice was a whisper. “I might need you to look after him. Not all the time, but sometimes.”

The baby was a newborn, with a shock of dark silky curls, sound asleep. Besany wasn’t sure what to say; she was so fond of Skirata that she’d do pretty well anything for him, but she knew nothing about babies, and she still had a regular job. He took her hand without looking away from the sleep-ing child, and squeezed it gently as if the two of them were sharing a wonderful joke.

“It’s Darman and Etain’s son,” he said. “Venku.”

“Oh. Oh.” The information floated on a current of disbelief before sinking in and shocking her. “Oh my.”

“This is going to be a little awkward for a while. Darman hasn’t a clue he’s a father. I’m still deciding if he’s ready to find out.”

Besany couldn’t take her eyes off the baby. He was real, a real live baby, lying on her sofa. She still had trouble taking that in. “So that’s why Etain’s been out of touch for a while. I’d never have guessed.”

“She wants to carry on as a general.” Venku woke and started fretting, making little ineffectual kicks. Skirata picked him up again with all the ease of a father who’d done this all before, a long time ago. “If the Jedi Council finds out she’s involved with Dar, then she gets kicked out. So as far as everyone except you, me, Bard’ika, Vau, the Nulls, and a select few on Mandalore is concerned, this is my grandson.”

“Which he is, really.”

“I’ve got such a tangled domestic past that it won’t surprise anyone to find my family dumping a kid on me.”

“I suppose having him brought up on Mandalore was out of the question.”

“If his father can’t raise him,” Skirata said, “then the duty falls to me.”

Besany still had a lot to absorb about Mandalorian custom. “But you’re on active service. You live in the barracks, don’t you?”

“Exactly. Now, I rented a place for Laseema by the Kragget restaurant, so I’m going to move in there for the time being and see how we cope between us.”

Skirata was a compulsive fixer who could make anything happen through his extensive network of contacts. One day, Besany would ask tactfully about his life before the Grand Army, but she already knew it would give her sleepless nights. “You rented an apartment for her?”

“You think I’d leave her stuck at Qibbu’s? You know how Twi’lek girls get exploited in cantinas like that. She’s Atin’s lady, and that means she’s family. I’m a regular at the Kragget and there are plenty of CSF lads using the place, so it’s secure.”

He seemed a little embarrassed. Perhaps he was worried that Besany would feel he’d failed for not settling Laseema in a smart neighborhood like her own.

I’m insane. I really should say no. What do I know about kids? “Okay, just bear in mind my office hours. Have you asked Jailer, too?”

“I’ve asked a lot of him lately. I’d rather avoid asking again. But it’s the best compromise I could think of that still lets Etain see Venku when she’s not deployed.”

“We’ll make it work,” she said. It sounded like the most insane promise she’d ever made. But then she’d abducted a comatose commando from the medcenter and done plenty of other ludicrously dangerous things recently; this was just one more act of lunacy on a growing list.