Son of a Butcher

[Mia Monroe]

Mia had known pain. She'd known the pain of devaronian blood poisoning, she'd known the pain of death and she'd known the pain of losing people she cared about, but none of it could have prepared her for the pain of childbirth. The agonising truth of bringing a child into this world. The world she'd made such a mess of. She'd been unable to reach into the force to relieve her pain, too delirious to focus but her brother had been there the whole time.

Nothing could have prepared her for the joy either, the moment when her son had drawn his first breath and screamed his anguish into the cold of space that surrounded Ordo's ship. When she had first clapped eyes on him and held him close to suckle. Even now, as he slept in her arms she could not take her eyes off him.

But there was a nagging, as reality yearned to tug her back to earth to look at the task that lay before her. "He has Rel's nose." she said softly.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

Ordo stepped back into the small med bay. He wiped the scalding water from his hands on a small hand towel before dropping it in a container. He hadn't had to deliver a baby for a long time but he had done it. Like riding a speeder bike, he supposed.

He walked over and sat on a stool beside her bed and looked at the small child. 7lbs 3oz. He would have to remember that. He moved the blanket a little and looked at the child to check his coloring and see if there were any defects. The first days were crucial. He leaned back and set his auto doc to monitor mother and child.

A big heavy hand came up to scratch his cheek before he smiled and looked at the baby like a nephew and not a patient.

"That he does, Mi'ika." He said his normally gravely voice little more than a whisper. "He has your chin."

The big man pushed from his seat and patted the tried momma on the shoulder.

"I'll get you some tea." He said quietly, "And some food. You'll both need your strength.....do you have a name yet?"

 

[Mia Monroe]

Mia contemplated the question, eyes still on his sleeping face. "Galeth." she replied softly. "His name his Galeth."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips gently to the soft fuzz that covered the child's crown and closed her eyes. Tears leaking quietly from the corners of her eyes, running down her nose and pooling on his head. Galeth made a grizzly noise and stirred as his mother lifted her face away from him. "Your mother is a royal feth up, something you should know, I think from the start. She's killed millions for a belief, alienated her family and painted a target on the back of those who chose, despite of of her mess to stand by her. Because that's what family does. No matter what, we stick together."

She sniffed, a hand reaching to wipe the tears away. "Your father," she gave a bitter watery chuckle "You father doesn't even know you exist. That's not his fault, that's mine. So if he comes to you late in life, ad'ika don't punish him. Your mother pushed him away when she should have pulled him close, this is on her." She drew in a shaky breath, her chest tight with the sobs she did not want to release with the shame of all she'd done. She swallowed, forcing it back down.

"Life won't be easy for you, ad'ika. It will be cruel and many people will shun you because you have my name and for that I'm sorry. I promise I will do everything in my power to put it right, and if i fail... your bavodu'e will look after you. Of that, you can be certain."

She placed a hand over her mouth stifling the sobs. Where are you Rel? You should be here....

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

Ordo grew cold inwardly and paused halfway to her with his cup of Tihaar, her tea and a cup of shaved ice on a small tray. what the hell did she think she was doing? The new born could be force sensitive, and she sure as hell was. Emotions from others could have a lot of effects on child either way. He stopped and set the tray down on the bedside table.

"Cut the osik." he said his voice as cold as hers had been when she found him begging on the street after the dark lord had left him cripple. "Galeth and I don't want to listen to it right now."

He took a drink from his tumbler and found he had drained it and just picked up the bottle.

"We need him safe first and you can tell him he has a karked up family later." Ordo said not bothering to sit close, "I've set a course to Okyaab VI, He'll be safer there away from this war and you at this point. Being near you is a death sentence."

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Mia Monroe]

Anger sliced through her quiet moment of despair and she let it wash away the tears. Angry was better than a weeping mess. She took her eyes off Galeth for the first time since Ordo had given him to her and fixed her brother with a dark expression. "I might not live long enough to tell him he has a karked up family later." she retorted equally cold.

She'd sucked him into a whole mess, maybe later she'd tell him how grateful she was, but right now he was getting in her way. "No, turn the ship around and take us back to Keldabe." she looked back down at Galeth. "Not only are their people willing to listen there but so is the Veil. I will fly us both to Okyaab VI once I'm done."

The Veil was their ship. Rel had made it for them, made it so she could hide. She'd not leave that behind for them, foolish sentimentality as it was.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

"GOOD THAN HE WON'T HEAR IT AT ALL!" Ordo roared. The children shuddered in her arms startled by the sudden out burst. His small eyes welled with tears and he began to wail. Ordo threw his glass down the far corridor with a crash and he stalked out of the chamber toward the cockpit. His huge hand balled into a fist and crashed into the hatch frame as he passed nearly tearing the outter supports off the bulkhead.

"OF ALL THE STUPID SELF CENTERED!" He roared in the distance before another crash of something being thrown reververated through the ship, "GODS DAMNED! SITH-KARKING!. Another crash followed by another, and finally silence. The ship lurched and made a course adjustment before moving back into hyperspace.

He walked back in silence his knuckles torn and bleeeding showing the metallic bone lacing underneath. He checked the child with gentleness that seemed alien from the brutish man and walked back toward the galley. He needed another drink.


[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Mia Monroe]

Galeth shuddered an Mia jumped, eyes wide and staring as Ordo threw his glass across and stomped off after it. She scowled momentarily as his tantrum continued down the hall and focused on settling Galeth back down, with soft whispers and gentle rocking. When he slid back to sleep, Mia slid carefully from the bed and settled him into the cot close by.

She followed Ordo out into the galley, closing the door to the medbay to mute the noise that was about to follow. If they needed to have this out, then fine. Sooner was better than later.

"Get it out of your system." she said, leaning on the galley door and folding her arms.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

Ordo busied himself making food. Nerf strips were browning in an old pan as he began cutting vegetables to saute in a light brown sauce. He didn't look over his shoulder as the door closed but he could feel her eyes before she spoke. The worst part was he loved her. He had always loved her, his blood sister was probably dead by now and had disowned him years ago, Mia was all the family he had. He had a wife and children. He even had grand children now, but siblings, even adopted always held a special place in your heart.

"Yes." He said curtly. It was a lie but the beating he would have liked to give her was more than he could manage right now. "I'm over it." He wasn't.

He dropped vegetables into the pan with the browned meat and poured the sauce over the lot of it and began stirring.

"Do you want to eat?" He said glancing back toward her finally, "You've been busy enough while I was gone. Must be hungry."

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Mia Monroe]

"Bullchit" she snapped in response to his lie, pushing herself off the door and stepping into the galley properly, she took two steps towards him and his next words made her stop. She glowered at him, a hand flicked and the saucepan her was stirring shot from the stove to crash against the wall.

"SAY IT!" she bellowed. "ALL OF IT!"

She needed him to shout, she needed him to get angry at her here and now. Not later. Not when the words left unsaid created a rift between siblings that could not be repaired.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

Ordo pulled back with a start. His hands up as he stared at the place the food was sitting a moment before. He turned slowly, his face hardening with rage. He wanted it to be done with. Move on, but Mia was never one to let things go.

He took a step.

"You ran off." He began his voice a growl, "With gods damned Verd and dipchit Ijaat. AND BROKE OUR KARKING HOMEWORLD!"

He took another step, his hands clenching.

"YOU!" He bellowed, "ACTING LIKE SOME SITH SCUTTA! ANAYA KARKING FENN WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE DONE THIS GARBAGE, MIA!"

He thought of his prison. Of looking at jars of his parts floating in bacta while machines kept him alive. Of the pain the sound of his own screams that seemed like another voice. They never even asked him questions. He felt like he knew how Mandalore would feel.

"YOU!" He paused to control himself, "You were wrong, I'm disappointed in you Mi'ika. You of all people should have been the best of us, and you played god with those idiots. Whinging half shebed idiots."

He lifted a scar riddled hand and slapped her with his full strength.

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Mia Monroe]

Mia saw the slap coming but she did nothing to stop it, his bucket sized hand cracked hard across her face and knocked her sideways into the counter, she could taste blood in her mouth and feel it ooze down her cheek where the skin had split. She took a breath and righted herself, moving to plant herself in front of him.

"For over a decade, I carried Velok's memories around in my head, tearing down everything around me. Ten years...and I forgot who I was." she didn't want to make excuses, she didn't need to. "I killed millions, in my insanity, and I didn't care. Not for months, not until Siobhan and I cut him out of my fething HEAD!" There were tears glistening in her eyes. "I was alone and I KARKED IT ALL UP! Now i can stand here and tell you that I'm sorry, and mean it, but it won't change a thing. The only thing I can do, is everything in my power to put it right, and even that won't be enough."

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

Ordo looked at her. Guilt from the slap already radiated through his big chest. He looked at Mia with sad grey-green eyes. he stepped forward his arms moved like lightening and engulfed her in his heavy arms.

"No. It won't be enough." He said squeezing, "But we'll do our best."

He let her go and turned back to his cooker. He really had been hungry. He started the process again, as he thought about Velok and the memories. He thought of Mya and the fact that at one point he had had the whipid's memories in his own head too. He had used them to learn to train his mind against the dark lord, but he had been prepared.

"Sit down." He told her calmly, "You can rally Keldabe. I have a loose end to tie up. Something, I should have done a long time ago."

 

[Mia Monroe]

The embrace made her tense at first, but she relaxed after a heartbeat, feeling the tension between them ease away. They'd been through so much, each of them bearing the weight of their sins with heavy hearts. Perhaps together they could find redemption. One more fight for their people. Would it be their last? Mia couldn't tell. She did know, that they would die for each other and for their family and perhaps that would be enough.

Only time would tell.

She sat heaving a sigh as she reached for a napkin and wiped the blood from her cheek and mouth. "I forgot how bloody hard you can hit." she paused noticing the metal glinting at his knuckles.

"You want to tell me what happened?" she asked, nodding towards them.

[member="Ordo"]