Private My Mother's Child

[MG-851216]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Davaab'beskad, personal Chiss "Execution" beskad.
	Jetii'Kyramud, Soul Sword.
Pistols	KYR-54 Skathe Hand Cannon + Regular, Pyro, and Cyro Rounds.

The Tauntaun landed in the Kestri shipyards, same as always, in its usual spot. But out of the iconic ship did not come Gwyneira Vizsla the Karjr of legends... but Mevia Vizsla, her wretched daughter. Wearing her beskar'gam to fend off Kestri's cold, Elise walked through the Tor Valum port looking for another familiar landing spot. The loud machinery and heavy equipment was home for Mevia's mother, thus, it was like a sort of home to Mevia. She bowed her head, in grief and shame, as she cradled a satchel in her hands. In it was stashed multiple items of importance. The Chiss shivered, feeling so much hesitation in her walk towards the ship up ahead. In this landing zone was the ship belonging not to Shai Maji , a Mandalorian of great esteem, but her scum of a son, Yuri Maji .

Mevia reached up and yanked her buy'ce off. Completely opposed to Mevia's proud posture and high head, Mevia looked... miserable. She was slouched, hugging the satchel in her arms against her chest. In one hand, she held her buy'ce. Her expression was so, so tired. And it was so, so distraught. The extreme reaction her sister Elise Vizsla had to the news she bore stung her still, and Mevia was frightened. So soon after Yuri had lost his own mother, he was also losing his aunt. Elise gulped, as she saw his shadow on the floor from where he worked on the ship's hull. With a somber frown, Mevia watched as the pup walked out from behind the ship, heading for a tool box. Mevia stood there, clenched her buy'ce, and reminded herself... she was Mevia Vizsla, granddaughter of Kranak Vizsla. She was a Si'kayha in training, and a now the scion of Kranak's legacy. She - she had to be strong! For herself, but also for her older cousin, who obviously was still grieving his mother by the look on his face.

Mevia gulped hard, then spoke.

"Yuri."

 

[Yuri Maji]

While he spent more time abroad on missions or hunts, the young Shistavanen always came home to rest and recover. Even if only for a short stay. What made it a consistently strange stay, however, were the personal items he received from his mother. Not just her armour and weapons, but her old ship... and even something more special.

But just like any other vessel, his mother's ship also required maintenance from time to time. Which was what had him crawling below the ship to patch some lines up and tighten some bolts. It was a bittersweet rest, tending to the machine kept him out of trouble and helped him relax, but it also reminded him of what once was. Every nook and cranny was familiar to him, the ship was his home for many years.

It was also familiar to someone else whom he was not expecting to see.

Mevia's voice drew Yuri's attention as he put his tools away. His lips parted to greet her with a warm, toothy smile as he held his arms out. "Well then, look who the lothcat dragged in." He greeted as he leaned agains the side of the ship with his hands on his hips. "Thought you were out waging war with all the other soldier boys." He continued. But something was wrong. Her posture was off, her face was dark and her eyes seemed dull. His gaze shifted down to the satchel she clung to her chest as if it were the most important thing in the galaxy. He knew Mevia wouldn't come to him like this for just any situation. And this certainly wasn't a social call.

Something in the back of his mind told him that there was something very wrong.

"Who kicked it?" He asked with a hollow voice, already preparing himself for whatever crushing news his little cousin, his sister, had in store for him.

MG-851216

 

[MG-851216]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Davaab'beskad, personal Chiss "Execution" beskad.
	Jetii'Kyramud, Soul Sword.
Pistols	KYR-54 Skathe Hand Cannon + Regular, Pyro, and Cyro Rounds.

Mevia was, at the very least, happy at first to that Yuri Maji was still his grinning, cocky self. Unfortunately, that familiar confidence faded when he noticed Mevia's expression, he realized what was going on and accurately guessed it. He asked who had died today.

The once-Foundling gulped. Yuri knew what it was like to lose one's mother. Misery loved company, and Mevia wondered how he would take this. Mevia had been devastated when her auntie died at the start of this war. Mevia looked down, frowning with an expression of both exhaustion and agony. She had seldom rested as of late.

She reached into the satchel, her throat too swollen to speak immediately. She gulped, repeatedly, as she pulled her mother's familiar buy'ce from the bag and clenched it against her chest, while also giving Yuri a proper view of it.

"... My buir."

The tears started to fall down Mevia's cheek as she shuddered. She gulped again, her throat tightening so much she was starting to struggle breathing. She could barely focus on Yuri, and take his reaction in.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Mevia didn't answer him with words, instead she pulled a helmet from the satchel that Yuri recognized immediately. It was his aunt's. Gwyneira Krayt. He stood motionless for a good few moments as he stared at the helmet with a blank expression. After what felt like an eternity, Yuri turned and ran a hand through his mane as a long sigh escaped him. In mere seconds his calm and composed posture crumbled as he sent the toolbox flying with a mighty swing, splitting his palm open in the process.

The pain didn't register as he pinched his eyes and tilted his head back, breathing short and shaky breaths. "You gotta be karkin' kidding me." He muttered. He lost his mother only a few months ago, now his aunt as well. He hurled a fist at the side of the ship, but to nobody's surprise all that did was break his knuckles. This time he felt the pain and yelped as he clutched his bloody and broken hand.

"How the kark did this happen?!" He barked at Mevia with fury and pain. "Please tell me it was the Jedi. Please... Give me an excuse to go hunt them right now." He practically snarled with a sickening grin as he closed the distance between him and Mevia until the enraged hound towered over her with tears running down his cheeks.

"Give me the name, my dear sis. Give me a reason to put a bolt in their head." His anger cracked along with his voice as the realisation of his aunt's passing set in. His lip began to quiver as he clutched his beaten hand.

MG-851216

 

[MG-851216]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Davaab'beskad, personal Chiss "Execution" beskad.
	Jetii'Kyramud, Soul Sword.
Pistols	KYR-54 Skathe Hand Cannon + Regular, Pyro, and Cyro Rounds.

Yuri's anger, how he threw things around in rage, made Mevia flinch. She despised seeing her beloved family like that. But it also scared her, especially when he asked who had done this. Who was to blame?

It's my fault.

Mevia winced, looking away as her blue cheeks turned purple. She completely blamed herself for her mother's death, and yet, she could not bear to say it. She could not face her cousin's wrath, like she had faced Elise's. Mevia looked back to Yuri Maji , her eyes puffy with tears, as she responded.

"The Maw is back."

She sniffled, but even in her grief she felt a bolstered rage towards the group that had enslaved her people. She gulped again, then continued.

"They call themselves the Dark Empire, or something like that. They and my mom crossed paths, she-she didn't-"

A sob shattered Mevia's composure. Shuddering, she clenched the buy'ce tighter as the satchel slipped from her hands. The bag hit the ground with a heavy thud, as Mevia hugged her mother's helm. She gritted her teeth, crying as the memories raced in her mind once more.

"She's gone! Big bro! She's gone!"

Through her tears, she looked down at the satchel. She had... brought something. She bent down, scooping up the satchel and holding it out for Yuri. She looked away, still unable to look him in the eyes as she spoke.

"She's-she would've wanted you to - to - have this."

Inside the satchel were unique, custom made pistols. Hideaway side arms Gwyneira had crafted long ago, and trusted for many years. The Twins. Mevia had given Elise her mother's crushgaunts, which Shai had made for her long ago. It made poetic sense for Yuri to inherit something Gwyneira had made herself.

After all, neither of her children deserved to have any of Gwyneira Vizsla's legacy.

Especially Mevia.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri's eyes widened and a chill ran down his spine as Mevia uttered the words. He never encountered them, they were gone by the time his mother and father saved him. But the stories, the aftermath of their wrath, was still prevalent when he was growing up. He took a step back and wiped at his eyes as he stared down at the ground.

She was gone.

Yuri's gaze shifted back to Mevia's as she picked up the satchel and extended it to him. He took it and peered inside, taking note of his aunt's old pistols. For a long moment he was speechless as he tried to wrap his head around the whole situation. Finally glancing back to Mevia, his little sis, he straightened his posture and wrapped his arm around her neck to guide her up to his ship. She needed someone in her corner and it was his job to take care of his sisters.

"Come on."

His words were soft as he ushered her up the boarding ramp and past a massive object covered by a tarp in the cargo hold. "There's some hot chocolate in the mess." He muttered with a weak chuckle. Once he parked her on the couch and made some of his mother's infamous beverage for the two of them, he sat down next to her and inspected his hand with a hiss. He glanced at his broken sister for a moment before giving her a nudge. "Mind helping me with this?" He held his hand up towards her in hopes of taking her mind off the situation, even if just a little bit.

MG-851216

 

[MG-851216]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Davaab'beskad, personal Chiss "Execution" beskad.
	Jetii'Kyramud, Soul Sword.
Pistols	KYR-54 Skathe Hand Cannon + Regular, Pyro, and Cyro Rounds.

The familiar scent of hot chocolate flooded Mevia with nostalgia. Memories of her auntie handing steaming mugs of cocoa to Mevia, Yuri, and Elise after long days of training replayed warmly in her mind. Auntie laughed as Yuri and Elise poked at Mevia's grumpier nature, or Elise tried to lecture Yuri on following the rules. Grief cascaded in Mevia's mind as she teared up once more. She had thought she had given up being the kind of person to wallow and cry when she started training to be Mandalorian. But now, here she was again, moping around on a chair and shedding so many tears.

Mevia stared at Yuri's hand when he extended it towards her. She blinked. Elise had always been the one who invested her time in learning first aid and basic battle medic procedures growing up. Mevia had only ever been interested in learning to fight. Mevia awkwardly took Yuri's hand and looked at it. Envy of her mother and sister's abilities to call upon the Force to heal wounds crept in. Mevia looked away, a harsh bitterness in her voice.

"Elise was the medic between the two of us. And like everything else, she was great at it."

Mevia still could not reconcile with her sister, even after she delivered the news of Gwyn's death. So much jealousy, so much pain, and so much misunderstanding. But it has been a final wish of Gwyn's, for the sisters to make things up with each other. And yet still...

"While she was dying, she asked me to reconcile with Elise." She clenched her jaw, "I can't! I tried, when I told her about mom, but we fought again!"

She let go of her elder brother's hand, throwing her arms in frustration. "I-I want to be better with her, but I can't! I'm so angry! I-"

"Mevia, please, don't fight out of hatred anymore."

Mevia screamed, reaching up and grabbing her head as her heart pounded, "I'm so confused!"

Her mother's dead body kept screaming in her mind. Her final words. The wounds she bore, the moment her cybernetic eyes shut down shortly before her body did the same. Everything Mevia had ever wanted to do, everything her mother had said that was contrary to it. The arguments between Mevia and her mother concerning the Crusade. Enclave battles, the bodies at her feet. Her sister, beaten and bloodied, staring up at Mevia moments after Mevia had failed to perform her finishing blow to her. All her sister's pain, caused by her. Memories of her aunt, memories of her mother, and memories of the family that was rapidly slipping away from her. The fellow Chiss Mandalorian who had toyed with her heart, then left it to bleed. The blaster fire, explosions, and roaring engines of war. Words, so many words, swirling in her mind.

It was all too much.

And it all swirled around the cup of hot chocolate Yuri had kindly prepared for her.

"I don't know anymore! I don't anything anymore! I'm angry! I'm in pain! I'm jealous! I want revenge on the Jedi, on the Maw, all of them! But mom also told me not to fight in anger anymore! But this pain is all I know!"

She hunkered over, yanking her own hair, as her vision blurred and granulated before her. Her chest hurt so intensely, she thought she was going to die. "I don't know anything anymore! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Buir! "

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri was caught off guard when Mevia brought up Elise's medical skills rather than helping him patch up. With the adrenaline of the previous conversation filtered out, the wound and broken knuckles were seriously starting to become more noticeable. But he didn't get a chance to comment when Mevia continued to speak, mentioning her mother's dying wish to see the two sisters reconcile.

Yuri left her for a moment to speak as he fetched a medpack from the kitchen cupboard, his ears perked to hear what she had to say. Her emotions spiralled as the Shistavanen tried to patch up his own hand. It didn't take long for the bacta and arguably lethal dose of painkillers to kick in and numb the pain. Finally he could think again. Mevia hunched over and grabbed her head as she confessed the hurricane of thoughts and feelings she was feeling to him, the pain she was in. It stung to see his little sis in this state.

She was always his favourite. Elise was the smart one, the one with her heart upon her sleeve. He loved Elise, but it was Mevia whom he always got into trouble with. It was Mevia that always understood him.

He sat down again and pulled Mevia into a tight hug, planting a kiss atop her head. "Anger is what keeps us going. Keeps us alive. But we can't let it control us. The Jedi, the Maw... they'll burn for what they took from us. But you saw what it did to our family." He muttered softly. He pulled away and took hold of her shoulder as he stared into her crimson eyes. "I'm here, Mev. We still got each other. And come hell or high water, I'll make sure you and Elise make peace..." A smile formed as he gave her a little shake. "Even if I have to smack some sense into you both." He pulled her back into a hug for a moment as a long sigh escaped him. He didn't exactly expect to suddenly be the impromptu patriarch of the family like this.

Eventually he gave her a nudge and gestured for Mevia to follow him. He came to a halt in front of the massive object covered by a tarp. "Hatred will kill us both if that's all we rely on. But we do not forgive and we do not forget. The galaxy took what we loved from us and, one way or another, they'll burn. But luckily we ain't alone. We got each other to stay strong... and we got this." With a mighty tug he yanked the tarp off to reveal his mother's Basilisk, Baby, powered down and folded up. He turned to Mevia with a smile to see her reaction.

MG-851216

 

[MG-851216]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Davaab'beskad, personal Chiss "Execution" beskad.
	Jetii'Kyramud, Soul Sword.
Pistols	KYR-54 Skathe Hand Cannon + Regular, Pyro, and Cyro Rounds.

Mevia Vizsla could be a ridiculously selfish person, even without realizing it. Leaving her cousin to take care of his hand by himself was one of those moments. It was a strange, self fulfilling crutch. She blamed her own selfishness for her mother's death, yet continued to be selfish. It was a deep rooted toxicity within her, which in the future needed to be purged... even if by fire. But for now, she had her breakdown as Yuri, merciful and compassionate, comforted her. More than most would know or understand, he was still sure that anger was a weapon of great value. The difference was, he could not let it control him. Mevia, meanwhile, was chained and dragged by her rage her entire life; long after she should had been free.

But alas for her wretchedness. A wretchedness she had no real understanding of, and its rot.

Yuri led her to a large, covered up object. He encouraged her, reassuring her that she was not alone and that they could still achieve their goals, revenge, and dreams. As he revealed Shai's basilisk, Mevia brought her hand to her mouth in a flicker of joy.

Gwyn's own basilisk, Cabur'tomad, was a part of the family growing up. He was an independent and stubborn, but loyal and loving basilisk. He always looked after his girls, and he fought loyally alongside both Gwyneira and Mevia in battle. He had always been a humongous, beskar plated puppy. When Gwyn rescued Mevia from the Scar Hounds, she had ordered Cabur'tomad to prioritize Mevia's life over her own. In the end, it had been Cabur'tomad who kept Mevia alive as she screamed over her mother's corpse.

Cabur'tomad was currently resting somewhere else in the Tor'Valum landing bay, grieving Gwyneira Vizsla as well.

And now, seeing the second basilisk she had grown up loving, Mevia was overjoyed. She walked towards the powered down war droid, pressing her hand against its cold plating. She sniffled.

"Hey, Baby. Cab would love to see you again."

Another sob shuddered through her back as she shook her head, looking down. "Buir would have loved to see how Yuri fixed you up too!"

She closed her eyes, tears falling hard. Her attention turned to Yuri as she spoke to him, "Yuri, you say we've got each other, but how? Elise and I keep fighting each other, we haven't seen each other in months, ba'buir won't come out from the Enclave elite war rooms... The guy I, well, liked only used me. And I..."

She saw her mother, standing in between. She saw her mother, taking the hit that was meant for her. And in a rare moment, she had a glimpse of clarity. She opened her eyes, looking away grimly.

"And how much of it is actually my fault?..."

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

Upon hearing Mevia's voice, the Basilisk's red eyes flickered to life for a moment as a low rumble rattled the ship. Apart from that, the Basilisk did nothing but stay stationary in his slumber. Yuri couldn't help but smile at his reaction to his sister. "Didn't think droids were this... attached... to their people. He's been like this since he brought ma back from Ryloth. We've been... in the same boat, so to speak." Yuri admitted as he patted the droid's Beskar hull. "One of these days he'll fly again." He continued as he faced his sister.

Mevia went on to lay down her doubts and fears to her older brother, who could only listen and watch her for a few seconds after she finished speaking. She was right. They rarely saw each other and their duties kept them busy. For once in his life, Yuri could admit that it was, in fact, his work and not his vices. "Hey... We've been busy. You've been takin' the fight to our enemies while I've been hunting them down in my own way. But..." He sighed and rubbed his brow as he tried to get his words straight.

"We're all that's left, Mev. Our family's went down in flames and all we can do is argue over it all. Uncle Kran can go burn for all I care. All I got is Dad and all you got is me and Elise... I still gotta go knock her around one of these days." He grumbled as he leaned against Baby. "Bottom line... We can't survive on our own. Not with everything that's goin' on. I..." He hesitated as he turned away for a moment.

"I wanna take back clan Krayt. I wanna take the fight to those who wronged us. But I ain't a leader... I ain't a soldier like you. We can't..." He took hold of her shoulders and leaned in close to her. "We can't do this alone. If we want to get revenge for our family... we need to stick together. Me and you. We need to keep each other grounded, and we need to protect each other. We're all we got left." He confessed to her as he gave her a light shake.

When did he become a poet?

He held onto his sister with a fire in his pale eyes as he stared at her. He stood by what he said. He wanted revenge for his mother's death even if it killed him and he knew Mevia wanted the same.

MG-851216

 

[MG-851216]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Davaab'beskad, personal Chiss "Execution" beskad.
	Jetii'Kyramud, Soul Sword.
Pistols	KYR-54 Skathe Hand Cannon + Regular, Pyro, and Cyro Rounds.

Mevia silently nodded at Yuri's words, a trace of her usual determination in her red eyes. The Chiss was not so sure about Clan Krayt. Gwyneira had left the Clan when she realized that Eliz Krayt was not returning home, no longer holding any connection to that Clan. Mevia had always felt more like a Vizsla than a Krayt, but she also knew that Gwyneira had never been that close to Clan Vizsla either - she had only joined because it was Kranak Vizsla's Clan. But Yuri spoke of vengeance, something they both desired greatly. The Maw's resurrected dark empire needed to pay, for everything. And... yet...

For once in her life, Mevia's usual rage was tempered with another equally strong emotion... doubt.

Doubt.

Mevia was starting to second guess everything she had once been fanatically on fire for.

And it terrified her.

Especially for the guilt that was trickling into her heart.

Mevia looked back to Baby, a solum expression on her weary face. She reached forward and gave the basilisk one more pat before turning around. She shrugged off Yuri's embrace and and walked back up the loading ramp. Entering the ship, Mevia picked up her mug of hot chocolate and took a sip. She loved sweets. As a slave girl she had never been able to indulge in treats. Ever since she had been adopted, both of her parents had been sure to spoil her with candy and baked goods - and her auntie had spoiled her with cocoa! Mevia felt a sea of sorrow as she reflected on another part of Yuri's words: Yuri, Elise, and Mevia were all that were left.

She closed her eyes, taking a larger gulp of hot chocolate to open her tightening throat. But the flavor and warmth only made her throat tighter as memories increased her sorrow.

She lowered the mug, placing it on the counter.

"I think I know... how lonely my mother was now."

She sniffled, recalling how utterly depressed her mother had been when Eliz went missing in action. She remembered how much she worried, when Elise defected from the Enclave. She recalled her mother's grief, when her auntie had died. She recounted all the times Gwyn had lectured Yuri on all his vices, and the dangers of spice and death stick addiction. And she looked back on her mother's frustration, as she lectures Mevia on her "path of destruction and hate."

Mevia clenched her fist. In a fit of self hatred, she slammed her fist on the counter with a heavy, swift thud.

"Haar'chak! She was always looking after all of us! She was always looking after me! But I never gave her anything back! I never showed her how much I was thankful for all she taught me; I didn't tell her I loved her enough! After everything she did for me!"

Mevia opened her eyes, gazing into her reflection in the cocoa... and she flinched when she saw herself.

"I hated Elise for what she had done. I hated that it had been the second time she'd left me. I called her a traitor, but... I had done the same kind of thing to my buir, hadn't I? I didn't appreciate her enough, I ran off to join the Crusades... and now she's..."

She uncurled her fist. She clawed the surface of the counter, chipping her nails as she gritted her teeth.

"I'm the worst daughter anyone could have ever had."

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri let go of Mevia when she pulled away for another sip of her hot chocolate. He followed her into the galley to reclaim his own mug for a sip, however he could only stare into it for a few long moments as he listened to Mevia speak. Her thoughts were familiar to him, he felt like he was in the same position with his own family. He had not seen his dad for quite some time and he felt as if he betrayed his mother with all of his actions. On top of it all, Mevia's examples really painted a picture of how both of them were ungrateful in their own ways.

His pale eyes shifted to look at his sister as she degraded herself.

"She was a good woman, auntie Gwyn. A good mother. Ma was too." He admitted softly. "But we don't always see that. We don't always see our own ungratefulness or their love until it's too late. I snorted, drank and screwed my way around instead of bein' there for Ma. I never got a chance to say goodbye to her one last time." His throat tightened as he thought back to his roster of bad decisions. His regrets.

He gave a sniff and took a sip of hot chocolate to try and let his throat relax as he sat down on the couch. "We were both bad kids, Mev. And where other people could still have a chance to fix their mistakes, we can't fix what we did." He glanced over to the satchel on the table for a second or two before he drew one of the Twins from it. Walking around the table, Yuri placed a hand on Mevia's shoulder and held the pistol out for her to take. "But we can fix what we do from here on out. The galaxy ain't gonna stop for us." He gave a faint smile to try and cheer her up.

MG-851216

 

[MG-851216]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Davaab'beskad, personal Chiss "Execution" beskad.
	Jetii'Kyramud, Soul Sword.
Pistols	KYR-54 Skathe Hand Cannon + Regular, Pyro, and Cyro Rounds.

Mevia choked in her emotions. She looked over to Yuri, remembering just how similar they were. Adopted children, saved from slavery, only to be the disappointments of the family towards their wonderful mothers. It was a pitiful, unjustifiable existence. The realization that they were wrong but being unable to make it up or even apologize. But Yuri offered a hope that Mevia would not have seen.

He held out one of the Twins, offering it for Mevia to take.

And he told her, that they were going to be better people from here on out.

She teared up once more, bringing a hand to her face as she gazed at the pistol. She then lowered her hand, extending it towards the pistol and placing one hand on it. She lifted her other hand, taking Yuri's fingers then manipulating them to coil around her hand, and the pistol they held together. Whether they liked it or not, they were where they were at. Terrible children, who now bore the legacy of their parents.

Still teary eyed, Mevia looked up to Yuri with a hint of a smile on her face.

"One of the first lessons your mother taught me was how a Mandalorian was supposed to compose themselves. Don't cry about it, compose yourself, and carry yourself with dignity. A true Mandalorian is more than the beskar, or creed, or equipment. It is the pride, and how we carry ourselves."

The Chiss chuckled, "My mom told me after that, that it was the same first lesson she had been taught by her too."

Mevia pulled both hands away from Yuri, leaving his curled hands to take hold of the pistol. That pistol was all his, it was her gift. But Mevia too held fragments and shards of Gwyneira Vizsla's legacy. They were all that was left, them and Elise. And Mevia recalled, how she had been told that moping never looked good on her. Her expression hardened and she swallowed, nodding grimly to Yuri.

"What's our first move?"

Yuri Maji