New FanFic: The Rise of Mandalore the Redeemer...

HOMESTEAD OF THE VEYRD CLAN, PLANET CONCORD DAWN C.108 A.B.Y.

"Come Z'ika," said Jynn Veyrd to his 6 year old son, Zelu. They were in the workshop and armory behind the aliit's house.

"Yes, Buir," said the wide eyed, inquisitive youngster. "What's that you're doing?"

Jynn held up his gun-metal grey and green buy'ce, angling the internal components toward his young son. "Making adjustments to my sensor upgrades, ad'ika. Sit with me. I'd like to talk to you."

Zelu climbed up onto the workbench's secondary stool. He loved joining his father in the workshop, assissting with armor and weaponsmithing as best as he could at his young age. "Does it have to do with my lessons? I swear I'll pay attention next time. Mama says I do real good when I focus, Buir."

Jynn couldn't help smile at his son's eagerness to please his parents. He shook his head, smiling, "No, Zelu. Et'ika says you're doing fine. You're old enough to understand it's not always a game anymore. It's dangerous out there. When you come with me to apprentice, we need to be sure that you can hide from the jettise. Force sensitives are very valuable to them. They won't think twice about taking you away."

Zelu looked his father in the eyes, with a fierce determination born of a proud Mandalorian heritage, "I won't let them, Buir. Mama's been training me to use the lightsaber too. I'll be able to use great-great-great gran's soon, I hope. I can be like great-great granpa Kad." He seemed really happy at such an accomplishment.

Jynn smiled again. "No son of mine will be  jettise, ad'ika." He joked as he winked at Zelu.

Zelu lifted his chin with a proud look, "No, Papa. I'm Mando'ad. All the way."

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Zelu walked out of his father's shop later that afternoon feeling a strange mixture of pride and anxiety. He wanted nothing more than to please both Mama and Papa. He was well aware that they were fiercely proud of him. Papa always said he was absolutely mandokarla. For Zelu, being born Mando'ad was the best sort of thing to be in this galaxy. He was also fiercely proud of another sort of heritage, the kind that no one else who was Mandalorian, besides he and Mama, as far as he knew, could lay claim to. They had a special sort of connection with the force, one inherited, if Mama's stories had even a shred of truth which he knew with all his heart they did, from his mother's namesake, his great-great-great grandmother Etain, and her son Kad. He was also proud that he and Mama shared another secret legacy, the fact that they were the actual genetic descendants of the legendary Mandalores Jango and Boba Fett. He knew that these things didn't necessarily make him better than the other Mandalorian kids, but that he had every right to take pride in such a heritage. He was excited that soon he'd be going offworld with Papa to learn the 'family trade,' of hunting down bad guys and collecting their bounties. He knew a lot of Mando'ade took up that sort of work, that it was as much of their culture as fighting in wars and wearing beskar'gam and farming and family and breathing. He felt his father was a special kind of Mando, in that he brought justice to the galaxy by taking down those bad guys who really hurt people. He knew that was what he wanted to do with his life.

What troubled him, however, was the fear he felt of having to hide who he really was. Mama had taught him since birth to be proud of his combined heritage, even if two parts of that heritage were supposed to be kept secret. He didn't like having to feel afraid of people finding out and hurting him, or his family. That fear though was what drove him to be the best. He knew things were dangerous, especially for him. He was determined not to ever let anyone take advantage of his fear. Like Mama had always told him, he needed to be able to take care of himself. Mama and Papa weren't always going to be around. Having recognized his fear, he decided  to use it as Papa had told him, to turn it into something he could use to drive himself to be better. With that thought, he smiled as he walked  to the back of the house for his scheduled  lightsaber practice with Mama.