The Status Quo

[Revenchent]

Mandalore: Near Galaar Tal'verda's grave​

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As Zandra had come further along in her pregnancy, Calico had become reluctant to travel as much. He understood the pirate had a love for travel and causing chaos, but the life of their unborn child took precedence. It was something the former Mandalorian had refused to budge on since the issue had come up; he was intent on the child being born near Galaar.

It was bad enough the boy would never meet his uncle, but to be born away from the only extended family he might have ever known--Calico could not bear the thought. His child would have a better life than that of his father and uncle. They had shed blood for politicians and power hungry souls for almost a thousand years, only to result in Galaar's death at Calico's own hand. This child, the unnamed son of the Tal'verda legacy would live a life of purpose. He was their last hope for some kind of meaning behind all the death: a bright spot that Calico would not allow to be tarnished by chaos.

And so, the former Grand Marshal had erected a small wooden cabin near Galaar's grave. It was by no means permanent--the Mandalorians would eventually recognize him for what he was, even if there were a thousand other faces identical to his own running about. The cabin was not far from Keldabe, and a trip once a week for supplies was all that was needed for survival. Credits were not an object for Calico--he and his brothers had stolen a personal fortune from the Confederacy before their mass desertion.

Those credits had been used to cure the clones of their shared illness, and the rest dispersed among those who needed it. Calico needed it more than anyone. He had paid for a surgical droid to help deliver the child, along with the basic luxuries to keep Zandra from going insane with boredom. The rest was used to keep Zandra's ship in shape for a quick getaway, should it be needed.

At the moment, Calico was knee deep in snow. He was draped in a heavy fur coat, and a toboggan was pulled down over his ears. His muscles screamed in displeasure as he pulle dhis arms back for another swing, driving the head of his logging axe deep into the bark of an old tree of unknown origin. The tree creaked, and fell forward; the sound of the ancient plant trampling through the canopy and into the snowy ground audible from almost a mile away.

Calico breathed a heavy sigh, and cast a curious look down toward the Strill lopping at his heels. Lord Cabur was an old creature, but he seemed to be having no trouble navigating through the deep snowdrift. "You know you could help." He grunted. The Strill tilted its head to the side in what might have been amusement, and trotted over to the downed tree; pushing on the side of the massive log to send it rolling toward Calico's repulsorcart.

The former soldier snickered, and joined his companion in the timeless chore. Zandra would be irked if he was gone too long, he was sure. He reached down to check his holocomm for any messages, shrugged, and rolled the log onto the repulsorcart with a grunt. Physical labor kept his mind off things: Off the wars, off the other clones, off Galaar, off that damned blonde Jedi that had broken his heart....

"Go find your mom." He ordered the Strill. Lord Cabur gave him an odd look, and turned to trot off toward the cabin. Calico would be home soon. He always was.

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

This hurt. Like, this really hurt. She'd been hurting for hours. It was starting to make the echani really irritable. Living like this was not something she could do for long. If the kid didn't hurry up already, she was tempted to tell the medical droid to cut him out of her and get it over with. But no. Patience was important here. It was like hunting down your target. You had to wait before the real action started.

Still, she was really sick of this pain. She took it like a champ, of course, complaining only to the medical droid when it became really severe. To Calico she didn't complain at all. He didn't need to hear it. He worked hard enough as it was to keep her happy. She wasn't about to throw that effort in his face.
So here she was, sitting on a comfortable wooden chair with a rag in one hand and some of calico's armor on her lap. This was what she was supposed to do right? If she was going to play the role of the housewife, she might as well do a good job at it. It was only a temporary thing anyway. Until Bean decided to show up. So she would clean Cals armor, because she owed him that much. And when the baby was born and she was healed enough, she'd jump right back into the game. And Cal...

Cal would be free to go where he wanted to again. They hadn't discussed really what they would do after. For all she knew, Calico would shake her hand, say 'nice doing business with you', and go back home... wherever that was. If she was being honest, it was a little stressful to think about. Whatever they said to each other, whatever he thought he felt, she knew well enough to know that nothing good could last forever. She she was reluctant to call him family, reluctant to tell him how she felt. Letting him in could only hurt when it was over. And Bean would only complicate things when the dream ended.

Calico's helmet hit the floor, only half clean now. She clutched the rag she was using to clean with both hands, tearing at it as if that might make the pain go away.

"Are you distressed ma'am?" the droid asked politely, hovering over her, "Shall I call your husband?"

"He ain't my husband," she snapped, "and this ain't nothin'! Back off!"

She set the rag down on the table, rose to her feet and walked across the room to retrieve the fallen helmet. It was only when she bent over to pick it up off the floor that she realized at last that Bean had finally decided it was time to make his debut.

"Blast it-" she cried, clutching her swollen belly with one hand while she fumbled with her communicator with the other, "Cal, come home. Now."

"Ma'am," the droid began again, "you appear to be in-"
"I know! I am two seconds away from tearing your head off, ya useless scrap pile! Do something medical, for cryin' out loud!"

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

The repulsorsled hovered slowly behind him, pieces of the tree had had cut down held in place through small bungee cords. They were unconventional, but they did the job right.A thousand thoughts rolled through Calico's mind as he sloshed back to the cabin. What was the future for himself and Zandra? She was all he had left--everyone else was either dead or long gone. It hurt, but she was there for him. The only problem with that was one that often crossed his mind, would she stay when the baby was born?

He lofted a brow as his holocomm buzzed. "Cal, come home. Now."

The former Dreadguard let go of the repulsorsled control and left it there. He broke into a clumbsy run toward the cabin, deft hands going for the DC-15 he kept in the leather holster on his hip. Someone must have arrived unnannounced. That, or there had been an issue. Perhaps she had fallen, but then the droid would have helped her up. It must have been someone, or--the baby. The baby was coming. If Calico could have run any faster, he would have.

He stumbled through the frozen forest like a bind bantha, bracing himself on a tree here or there each time he stumbled forward. Twice he fell to the ground, and twice he shot back up to his feet. By the time he arrived at the door, a thin veil of sweat coated his forehead, and his chest rose and fell violently with gasping breaths.

He wrenched the door open. "Oh, shab." He grunted. He marched on up to the Echani, and moved to lift her gently off her feet. "Let's get you in the bed cyar'ika. We're not trailer folk." The humor in his words was evident--he was trying to seem in control--but there was worry there too. He had never seen child birth before, and even as the droid hurried about to ready its facilities, he worried that the job would not be done right.

This was, of course, highly unlikely. The droid was top of the line. Still, for one of the few times in the clone's artificial life, he wished that a Jedi was around to help.


[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

By the time Cal flung open the door, Zandra was rising to her feet again, clutching the edge of the table for support. Force, this hurt. This seriously hurt. This hurt worse than the time she was shot in the right shoulder, or the time she had to pull a knife out of her thigh. Hell, this hurt more than the time Cal left and she didn't see him for months. That was really saying something.

"Cal-" but he had swept her off her feet before she could explain anything. Bed. Yeah, time to lay down and be helpless again. She was really hating this. When her back hit the mattress, the droid came up to the side of the bed.

"I recommend you practice your breathing exercises, Mrs. Tal'verd-"
"For the last time, we ain't married!" she spat at the droid, "Cal, you sure this thing was worth the credits? Seems ta have a problem with it's memory!"

She sat up on the bed, wincing as another contraction hit. This was going to be a long night.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

Even amidst the chaos, Calico couldn't help but snicker. Zandra was...well, Zandra. She wasn't like most other beings, and that had drawn him to her. It was rather odd when you got down to it. Calico had been a general, and before that, a strict Sergeant over his detachment of men. Always following orders, always following the rules and guidelines set before him by those who thought they knew better. Zandra was the anti-thesis of everything that he was and had been--and she was perfect.

"He's just warming up. Like a speeder, without the fun parts." He replied in a soft voice. Calm. He needed to try and get her calm. He took up a position beside the bed, and pulled up a chair to the left of her. The droid mirrored him on the right side of the bed, and readied the particular painkillers and other birthy drugs that it would administer in a moment.

"--and I don't really care if he thinks we're married or not. It's all the same to me." He added quietly as he reached for her hand. He had seen it in the holodramas, and Galaar had given him similar advice before he died. Not that Galaar had known any better, the di'kut liked men, and men didn't pop out babies.

Lord Cabur chose that time to trot in. The massive Strill was covered in a white sheet of snow, and its muzzle was stained red. He had either gotten into the corpse of some unfortunate animal nearby, or done the killing himself. Either way, Cabur yawned loudly, showing off a row of sharp teeth. The ball of snowy fur meandered on up to the couple, and took a position just below the bed; sitting up straight like an arrow. He was guarding the Echani.

"You're doing good Zan'ika." Cal encouraged as the droid moved to pump her full of happy juice. "Cabur and I are here for you."

And in that moment, Calico realized something. They had never decided on a name other than the pet name Zandra seemed fond of. Shab.

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

"If the droid kills me, Cal, I'm going to haunt you," she warned, wincing as the droid pushed a needle under her flesh. Force, she hated needles. Oh, did she ever hate needles. Not scared or anything. Of course not! She just didn't like them.

She turned her face away from the droid, not wishing to see what other medical horrors it had in store for her. No. Best to just look at Cal. She hardly heard what he'd just said about it being all the same to him. Maybe after Bean was born, they could take some time to actually talk for a bit. Decide what they did next. Maybe they could finally pick a decent sounding name for their son too. That might be nice.

Oh... she was starting to feel light. Her fingers curled around the sheets below her loosened, softened. She fell back, letting her head hit the pillow. This hurt less now. It wasn't entirely painless, but it had taken the edge off. That was enough.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"You'd be a fun ghost. Flashing me when I'm trying to write up a contact report, or shooting me in the face. Fun." He cracked a wry little grin, and leaned forward. His eyes drifted half-closed, and he pressed his lips gently to her brow.

It was circumstance that they were having a child together. There was no plan behind it, and initially, it seemed as if neither wanted the burden. Yet, the idea had grown on Calico, as had Zandra. She had waited so very long for him, longer than she would likely want to admit. Most who met her saw her as a loose scoundrel out for herself, but Cal knew better. He knew that she cared enough to wait for him, and stood by him as his own actions brought his world crumbing in upon itself.

She was no scoundrel, she was just Zandra. The soldier lingered there for a moment, allowing the realization that the events transpiring were not some daydream to sink in, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Galaar would have been happy for him. The younger clone had always cared far too much about Calico's well being, and in the end that had meant the death of him. Cal's only real regret was that his brother and friend was not around to see the birth of his nephew.

"You know you're stuck with me Zandra." He assured her, leaning back up to his full height. Lord Cabur tilted his furry head toward the duo, and almost seemed to shrug. The Strill pushed up off its haunches, and did not hesitate to hop up into Calico's lap.

The animal weighed almost three hundred pounds, and it was all Calico could do to to keep Zandra's hand in his. Lord Cabur let his furry head rest on Calico's knee, and yawned like the pampered creature that he was.

"Lord Cabur too." Calico sighed.

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

"Ah, that dirty mutt," she smiled, reaching with her other hand to touch the creatures dirty furry head, "Don' let 'im on the bed. He smells like blood."

During the early stages of the pregnancy, she would get sick every time she smelled meat cooking. It took her a while to get over that. Sometimes even now, just the memory of that made her feel queasy.

"So how long this gunna be, anyway?" she asked the droid, wincing as she felt another needle poke her arm.

"Impossible to say," the droid responded, "Anywhere between three to twelve hours. I recommend you make yourself as comfortable as possible, Mrs. Tal'verda."

Zandra groaned out loud, covering her face with one hand. How many hours did the droid say it could take? twelve!? Unbelivable. No. She wasn't going to do that. She'd sooner cut the kid out of herself than deal with this for that long. She gave it six hours, then if Bean wasn't in her arms by then, she was going to insist on being cut open.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"He's probably went and killed something. Cabur's a murderous bastard." Calico chuckled. He set a weary hand on the beast's back, and the Strill offered a low rumble in return. His sullen yellow eyes drifted shut, and a the rumbles began to come frequent from the back of his throat. The Strill was snoring.

Cal lofted a brow at the estimation. Twelve hours was a lot, three on the other hand, not so bad. He shook his head in annoyance, and settled back into his chair. He would not leave Zandra's side so long as she wanted him there. It was his son too, and though they were not married, she had his heart. The only problem with that being Zandra's not exactly understanding that she had it. He would have to explain that to her after this. It was a simple three words, and they were words he was loathe to ever utter again. Still, he was positive he felt that way, and part of him knew Zandra did too.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be force sensitive. I hear those kids pop out fast." Cal joked, reaching over to set a steady hand on the Echani's shoulder. In truth, he dreaded that possibility. Force users were the root of every problem he and his brothers had ever really had. That, and they took babies. The Sith would most definitely come for their son, and the Jedi would try to sneak him away. Then again, the chances were very low for the child to be born with such supernatural powers, and Calico was the antithesis of everything force users were. Perhaps that trait would be passed down to their child.

It was better than having 'Bean' born with the burden of the force, anyway.

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra made a face at his joke. Force user. Yeah right. There was no way. That was genetic, right? Like having blue eyes? She wasn't sure how it worked, to be honest, but that seemed to make the most sense.

The droid hovered over her, saying words she would never remember a few hours from now. All that mattered now was that in four hours time, Zandra Fenni would give birth to a baby boy, one that was the best of both of them. A child that defied racial prejudiced. A child that was Echani and mandalorian.
A child that would one day prove Zandra's theory of genetics to be very wrong.

"Look at 'im, Cal," she whispered, sleepily watching the little bundle at her side squirm, "I think 'e's got your chin."

She was smiling. Her hair was wet with perspiration, she was filthy with her own blood, she was tired and sore, but she was smiling. Her boy. This was her child. Her's and Cal's. And nothing would change that. Nothing would take him from her. Not while she lived.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

There was a certain pride most men felt when they became a father. A woman became a mother when the pregnancy began, but the man was not the father until his child was staring up at him. Tentatively, Calico reached down to trace a finger gently across the infant's cheek. He swallowed heavily, and looked slowly toward Zandra. The child was justification for all that had happened; the Confederacy, the Protectorate, Galaar's death....

"He's ours." Calico whispered. He leaned over, and gave her a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek. "We have to name him." He added quietly, shooing away the medical droid. A sharp growl from Lord Cabur helped reinforce that point, and the Strill trotted off to follow the droid.

The soldier had adopted many young men and women in his life time. He had been the father that they needed, and guided them to the correct path. This was different. The little bundle was his own flesh and blood, something both he and Zandra had created. It was unreal. " I think he might look more like you--which is good, you're the pretty one." He snickered, his gaze only leaving the child's face to lock on Zandra's. "I know I've implied it a few times before but...hey, I love you."

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

The boy squirmed, slowly wearing himself down from his first crying fit. The first of many, she supposed. That was alright. He was a little thing. She's be angry too if someone pulled her out of her nice warm home and stuck her in a cold cabin. The poor thing must be confused as heck.
The new mom moved her face when cal went in to kiss her, catching it with the corner of her mouth. Too slow. She was way too slow. She was more tired than she'd ever been. Just trying to lift her arms felt like a heavy work out. She couldn't even hold her own baby, she was so weak. The child was curled up next to her on the bed, wrapped in blanket, using what little body heat she had left to stay warm. He was smaller than she thought he'd be. A real bean.
Cal did have a point. He looked like her, but his hair looked like it might be dark, like his. Good. He'd stand out a little less that way. Her eyes closed. She was going to need to sleep for a long time.

"hey, I love you."

...her eyes opened again. She was dreaming. That just wasn't something Calico said. Not really. Once. He said it once and that was months ago. Why say it now? Her bright grey eyes stared for a good while. And what was she supposed to say? This just wasn't something she could just say. They were just words. Words were meaningless. Actions were what mattered.

"The feeling's mutual, Cal," she responded in a hoarse whisper, giving him a half smile, "So, what? Ya wanna get married or somethin'?"

She tried to laugh at her own joke, but her voice was so strained it sounded more like she was choking. Ah yes. She was the absolute definition of feminine beauty here.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

The old soldier just shrugged. He had put some thought into it, and it honestly didn't seem like the worst option. Clearly, they felt for each other, and marriage would make life a lot easier on the kid. The kid they still had not named. Calico reached down to scoop the baby up up into his arms. He gently pulled the small child to his chest like a seasoned pro, and beamed down at their son.

"We could." ​He answered simply. The baby made one of those odd baby sounds, and Cal leaned down to peck him on the brow. A Mandalorian/Echani hybrid was unheard of. Most in either culture would consider it impossible, least of all in a loving relationship between two consenting partners. Yet, they had proven history wrong, to a point.

"You want to?" He asked quietly, finally looking over at Zandra. She was a mess, but that was to be expected. The process of child birth hadn't seemed to be the most pleasurable experience. Even still, he found himself taken with her. He snickered to himself, and leaned back in his chair. "I mean, I don't see why we shouldn't."

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

She'd meant that as a joke. She had been poking fun at the rest of the Galaxy. Why did marriage exist anyway? It seemed like such a waste. Couldn't two people just live together, care for each other and remain loyal to each other without having some stupid ceremony? She'd always wondered why people seriously bothered with it anymore.
And she now felt stupid for making that joke because Calico honestly seemed like he was considering it. The Echani blinked at him, hardly able to keep herself awake now. She was going to have to wash up. The blood was starting to dry on her thighs. It was hardly the most comfortable feeling.

"I... You're serious?" For once, she was actually considering it, but then something occurred to her. "Wait. Aren't ya still married to what's 'er name? Legally, I mean."

Might make the marriage process a little difficult if he was still married to his first wife. She was no expert on the matter, but she was pretty sure most planets had rules about that sort of thing.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

Cal shook his head. He had divorced her in the typical Mandalorian custom. Just as the marriage, it was a short and efficient end of their contract. He felt a spot of pity for the woman, but nowhere near enough to make him regret his decisions. he had made the right call--they had not been right for each other, that was clear after Drunkenwell. A lot of things were clear after Drunkenwell.

"No." He answered simply as he rocked their son in his arms. The child seemed to have lost whatever fight had been keeping it awake. Its eyes were closed, and its tiny chest rose and fell with every breath. Calico beamed down at the little boy for a few moments, before continuing his train of thought. "Divorced. Plus, fun fact, the marriage was made in the Confederacy. I was property in the Confederacy--technically, I couldn't have been married in the first place. It wasn't in my rights."

He tilted his head back to look at her. The Echani looked exhausted. He resigned himself to taking care of the baby for now. She needed her rest, and all he had done was sit around for four hours waiting. Taking care of a newborn couldn't be that hard anyway, right?

"I can program the droid for sentient functions, so he can take care of the baby while we're away. We can keep working together, like usual. You don't need to worry yourself."

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

"Ya can be married now though, right?"

The Echani watched the baby in his arms. He seemed more comfortable with the newborn than she was. Zandra had never held a baby before today. Never really spent any time with one. She was the youngest child in her family, the baby sister. She hated to admit it, but she was really going to need his help. Maybe marriage was a good idea. He couldn't just up and leave her with the kid if they married, right?

"...A'right," she sighed, closing her eyes, "Work, kid, marriage. We can do this thing."

She wasn't even sure what she was saying anymore. She rolled onto her side, deciding for the moment that she was going to sleep, then worry about cleaning up the blood when she had the strength to sit up again. Maybe she'd get Cal to go outside and bring her some ice to put on her injured lady parts too. Whatever drugs the droid gave her, it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

"Name him somethin', Cal," she murmured, feeling herself drift off, "Tell me what it is when I wake up."

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

That was a plan, and it was more than they'd had for months. Anything was better than just sitting around while they waited for their son to come of age.

When did little boys come of age anyway? What were you supposed to do to keep them entertained?

Cal bit down on his lower lip as the baby squirmed. Big blue eyes stared up at the exiled Mandalorian in what might have been a look of confusion. That, or the little child was just hungry. What should he feed the kid anyway? Could you give them a bottle right out of the womb?

"C'mon now Cor'ika." He grunted as he pushed up to his feet. The baby sneezed, and Cal cracked a ridiculous grin. "Let's leave your mom to sleep, eh?"

The clone strode quietly out of the room, and eased the door closed. It was only when he had crossed the hallway that he realized what he had called the child. Cor'ika. Corrin.

That fit. He had considered naming the child after one of his fallen brothers, but that would bring up memories of them. He couldn't live with that. Instead, Corrin's name had come to him. Corrin had been the son of a revolutionary Fox Squad had worked alongside on Dxun. Calico had taken a distinct liking to the little bit then.

The name fit his own son, so long as Zandra agreed. He settled down in one of the chairs near the doorway. Sighing quietly, Calico held the infant in one arm, and snapped his fingers with the other. Lord Cabur, now pristine from a night spent digging in the snow, came trotting through the small door that had been made for him.

The Strill paused next to Calico's leg. It sat up on its haunches, and sniffed the infant. Cabur nodded as if it was proud, and settled down at Calico's feet.

"I love you, Corrin." Calico mumbled quietly. Oddly enough, the baby gave a low whine, as if it understood. Cal paid the quiet action no mind, and sat there, content to watch the snow fall with his son.




[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandras sleep was dreamless and short. Very short. It was the pain that kept waking her. That was something she hadn't expected. Soreness after the birth. She lay still in the bed as the droid cleaned her, struggling somewhere between consciousness and sleep. Cal had taken the baby away to let her rest, but he would need to be fed soon. She knew what she was supposed to do. Someone said it was healthiest for the mother to nurse the baby herself. The whole idea of it seemed weird, but she supposed she could try it. She was so new to this whole mom thing, she'd try just about anything.

"Tell Cal to bring the kid," she hoarsely ordered the droid, "I hardly got to see 'im."

She'd been asleep for an hour. Hardly enough sleep for what she just went through, but she couldn't keep her eyes closed. This was something she heard would happen a lot, losing sleep. At least for a couple years. She'd gone days without sleep before. She could handle it. And she had Cal. He said something about marriage, right? Unless she was dreaming that part too. He'd be her husband. Half the responsibility was his, and that meant half the work with the kid would be his too.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Mhm?" Calico mumbled as the droid approached. Zandra was awake and wanted to see the child. The former Mando lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug, and carefully angled the baby against his chest as he pushe dup to his feet. It wouldn't do to drop their newborn, after all.

"Go ahead and recharge for a bit." He added over his shoulder at the droid. It tilted its metallic head in agreement, and settled into the chair he had been occupying a moment earlier. Lord Cabur followed at his heels, ever the stalwart guardian of his master and the new addition to the cabin.

Cal slowly creaked the door open. He cracked a wide smile at the Echani, and passed a glance down to the sleeping child in his arms. Wordlessly, he glided over to Zandra, and set himself down in the chair he had occupied earlier. He settled his dark brown eyes on the woman, and gently offered their son forward.

"I thought Corrin might have been a good name. What do you think?"

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

It took some effort, but Zandra managed to sit up in bed when Calico came back with her- no, their baby. She gave him a smile, craning her neck to get a better look at the child in his arms.

"Corrin? Hm... Corrin. Coooorrrriiiiin...." she said the name again and again, trying to get a feel for it, looking at the boy this way and that as if to get a good feel for it, "Corrin Tal'verda. Yeah. I think it'll do okay."

She reached out, motioning for her lover to pass the baby to her.

"Give 'em here. Kids gatta be feelin' hungry."

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]