Full Time Job

Chapter 19 – The Beast Awakens

Long before the first sunrays peeked over the snow covered mountain top, Jango was woken again. Tomoe had moved against him in sleep, but not in a good way. She shifted as if she was having a nightmare, even talked in sleep. Boba woke and rubbed his eyes “What is it, mom?” This had never happened before. He brushed his hand over her check to wake her. She threw her head in avoidance and rolled on her back, her left elbow hitting the metal floor with a clang.



‘Side effects?’ Jango knelt abruptly and ushered Boba behind his arm. Whatever she was fighting, he was glad that he had taken her sabre away already. She came around with low animal cry that reminded him of the little beast in the shower and sat up, clutching her throat.



He held her before she could trash some more or hit something else. Her short nails dug into his upper arms. He could feel it even through the body glove. “It’s just a nightmare, Tomoe-chan...” she stared at him without true recognition, “It’s alright, it’s just us.”



She sagged and he let her cry against his chest. “It’s better now, isn’t it?” he patted her back and wondered what he was doing here, “Wake up... what was it you dreamed?”



“I’ve become an animal...” she whispered.



Yesterday’s talk about the crazy attacker and his hawk and the nightly visitors plus the side effects of the sleeping gas had probably screwed with her subconscious. Tomoe was very responsive and he had been pushing it. “Just because you smell a little rank, you don’t grow a couple of additional paws and prance around like Mird...”



He dearly hoped now that wasn’t the breakdown he had worked on for so long. It didn’t feel right. He wanted her to smile and tell him that she was alright.



“Yes...” she swallowed her tears and tried to sober up, rubbing her sleeve over her face, “what time is it?”



“Four thirty,” he let go as her grip on him ceased. Her acceptance of him in her private zone had been a nice surprise, but it could not last... yet. “Still dim outside, but since everybody’s already awake; we can as well have breakfast until the sun comes up.”



She agreed, “Sorry for waking you early... we should get going.”



Boba padded over to snuggle underneath the blanket again until mom handed him one of her steamed washcloths. The air felt colder than when he had lain down... but he was getting used to it since they had moved over from Tipoca. Comfort was defined differently here.



Jango handed her sabre back “I took this when you started trashing... you were not yourself.”



“Thank you.” She accepted it back casually, stood, pushed it under her belt, rushed over to the water dispenser to soak a washcloth with warm water, hurried back to Boba, washed and wrapped him up and got dressed before his father could attach the shin guards to his body glove.



‘Huh?’ Jango stood back and arched a brow at his son who met his gaze for a long moment then voiced his disapproval of the early morning ruckus. “I can do that myself, mom, really …” She didn’t care but prepared shig. Jango caught her snipping salt from her little bag into the corners of the TIV. What was that? Usually she was cleaning up any crump and polished meticulously? She rushed along as if she was ticking off a secret checklist in pursuit of a new speed record.



She finally calmed a little and sat down for breakfast. Once her breathing had returned to normal, she asked to be tasked for today’s repair.



“Well…” Jango knew his breaks for chewing on a piece of food board riled her - hopefully enough to tell him what was wrong without him invading her privacy. Things had been going well and he would rather avoid another set-back. “I finished the sublight yesterday. Once we have rigged the landing gear, we can start the engine and test it. I can’t have anybody working outside while I do that...”



“Let’s go then.” Tomoe swallowed a half filled cup of hot shig in a single draw.



While Tomoe had worked on their common goal with a mixture of polite interest and mild annoyance before, in a sedate pace, she was now working as if… well, she hadn’t looked that out of it when she knew the Cuy’val Dar and all of the GAR on her heels. For once, it hadn’t been him?



“No hurry.” Jango remained seated. He suspected that crazy guy yesterday had something to do with her agitation. But why now?! He didn’t like his mission interrupted like this. He would dig his adversary out from whatever stone that womprat was hiding under and shoot him. For that, he needed to replace a couple of fried relays in the sensor array. ‘Should have done that yesterday when I had him in the crosshairs.’ He thought. Now it would cost him precious time. “There are still the sensors and the shield generator and…”



“Can I fix the shields, dad?” Boba had found a delighting box with spare parts. Not playthings, the real thing!



“Sure. Tell me if you need help or when you are finished so I can check it out.” Jango told him generously and hoped Tomoe would forget to ask for the origin of some of the box’ contents, but she had other things on her usually cautious mind, obviously…



“Does the hyperdrive work?” her inquiry rose Jango’s eyebrow yet again, “…are my words not correct?” she fussed as he didn’t answer right away, “I mean the thing that enables a spaceship to go faster than the light for interstellar travel?”



“That’s a hyperdrive, alright.” Coldness ran down his back… “You insist that I leave planet right now?” If she couldn’t make the right decision, he would have to shut her up. Vau and Gilamar were around. He would have to take her out of Boba’s sight and…



“Yes… we need to leave,” she knelt down again, “please take me away from here,” she begged as her long black hair sunk around her shoulders.



‘We?!’ If he hadn’t stayed seated, it would have put him on his ass. “I can do the remaining repairs on the resort parking lot if it isn’t save to do it up here.” He told her carefully, as if threading thin ice.



“Good.” She fought to keep her face straight, but for one who knew her, the ‘whatever, just do it!’ was written all over her features.



“Let’s take the remaining repairs down there.” Jango leaned over to brush her cheek gently. She didn’t flinch, holding out her jaw to him as if daring him to backhand her. No more questions. If he had lashed out at her, she would have turned her face on the other side to accept the next strike.



Couldn’t she see he didn’t want to abuse her? It was insulting and it cut into him worse than the outlook to go outside and shoot her. He was put off, definitely not in the mood to try how far he could take his gentle teasing with her right now. He wanted it, yes, but not like this! He rose slowly, pulled her to her feet and against his chest, holding her close for a moment.



“Cyar’ika… you’ll feel better after a hot bath and a good night’s sleep.” He finally tried to reassure her at least a little before they went to get the job done.



***



They had just bolted on the last of the landing gear as Tomoe went all pale and ran off to the side. The sounds of retching suggested belated morning sickness. If there had been something wrong with yesterday’s meat, Boba and he would feel it, too. He approached with the water bottle and a cloth. “You’ll be alright once you settle down. I’ve been told its normal for the beginning months of pregnancy.”



“Please take me away from here,” she repeated her request in low voice once she had taken a swig, spat it out, drank again and wiped her face clean.



It was like if she had lost her will. At least she didn’t struggle as he gathered her up, herded her inside over the boarding ramp and through the main hatch and then closed her seatbelt. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t have complained if he had taken the TIV into the orbit and set course for Kamino. Not because she suddenly loved him so much, but because she didn’t care. He hadn’t been redeemed; somehow he had become the lesser evil and she was still fighting to survive...



But who had hurt her worse than him? Whoever it was, he wanted to kill him for her... and for their child, and their family.



He took her face between her hands, looking into her eyes with gentle assuredness. “Not like this, Tomoe,” he voiced his concerns to her, “I’m not a doctor, but you look like you had a mental breakdown. You are going to relax, heal your mind and then make your own decision,” he promised her before he sat in the pilot’s seat and concentrated on the pre-flight checks.



***



As Jango brought the TIV down on the parking, the repaired landing gear screeched horribly but held up. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Tomoe’s work, but he would ask for a couple of sandbags in addition from the resort.



He laid his hand on Tomoe’s when she retrieved her comlink to call a ground transport. “Let’s walk the way back to the resort. You look as if you could use some fresh air and some light movement will do you good.”



Jango shut down all systems and picked up their picnic basket to walk his little family home through the cedar wood that covered the hills over the resort. The sun shine filtered warmly between the trunks, birds twittered, mosquitoes and flies danced in the rays of light hovering between the cool shadows. ‘What is wrong with coming home late from a field trip?’ he would challenge who ever asked stupid questions like where they had been the last two nights and why they were covered in mud. ‘I’m here on holiday.’



Once they left the White Mountain Range behind them, Tomoe had calmed noticeably. Maybe it had been just another example superstitious poodoo like the angry goddess of the mountain sending avalanches at them. Stupid incidents happened, especially to careless people. He wasn’t careless.



They entered the cottage and Jango sat her down by the fireplace then send Boba to shower and change first then get them a light lunch from the main house kitchen while he started a tea. The small shower looked inviting, but he would have to watch her from now on. The girl knew too much and she had become all unpredictable in her present mental state. Not that she was very talkative. She just sat there as if waiting for her execution, but ready to switch to frenzied activity any moment.



Once back in her familiar surroundings she watched him doing things - wrong most likely, or not according to the local ceremony - and tried to drop back into her serviceable routine, but he would not let her. The cottage and the TIV could wait until she told him what was going on with her.



“I need to inform Norio-sama that we are back home...” – “Done that already.” Boba pushed the slide door open, loaded with lunch boxes. They ate in depressed silence, then Jango put Boba on his piled up homework and told Tomoe to get some rest instead of sagging over her bowel with her eyes half closed.



“Can you do the repairs alone?” she inquired helpfully but didn’t complain as he dragged a blanket out of a built-in closet for her. “You lay down now.” Of course she complied, quicker than when he had called her his slave. So this was how far the power of command went. It wasn’t enough for him. It didn’t change anything for them. Once she looked asleep, Jango placed his helmet on the shelf in the alcove and let the range finder monitor the room to alarm him if something moved while he took a shower.



A generous amount of hot water made him look and smell like a clean human being again, but he was still by no means wiser. Once she woke, he would make Tomoe take a bath, and if he had to drag her there then scrub her down from head to toes personally. She wanted to come with him because she had become as barbaric as him or Vau’s retriever overnight? Bad argument. He would clean her up in the local healing water and see whenever that changed her mind ...or make her at least tell him what was wrong NOW.



***



Tomoe woke with the late afternoon light shining on her face. She realized that the blanket on top of her was too warm and she was sweat bathed and reeked underneath ...and that Jango Fett frowned at her from a corner of the room while the typing of Boba’s notepad could be heard from the next room. Oh yes, she had agreed to go with him. It was what he had wanted, what he had pressed her to do? She would have him expected to look happier than that?!



“Would you like to take a bath?” there was no raise in his neutral tone, nevertheless the gravelly voice bridged the distance between them easily.



She definitely would... “Yes. Thank you,” she stood, hung the blanket to air it and retrieved a fresh cotton robe, a sash and the bag with her personal hygiene items. “I’m at the servant’s bath.” She excused herself with a little bow and slipped into her wooden sandals waiting by the steps.



Feeling Jango’s intense gaze between her shoulder blades, she padded over the stones of the garden path that led up to the little shed. She dropped her jacket, pants and underclothing in a basket and scrubbed the reminders of volcanic mud down carefully. She washed her hair and wrapped it up under a towel before she entered the steaming tub.



Maybe there was nothing about it. Nothing exceptional would happen with her or her child. She had just acted on a dream, a crazy nightmare, afraid of a crazed witness of old times. How stupid. All she had was the same old problem with Fett. She realized that she hadn’t been playing fair in the emotional tumult of the nightmare, but curiously it had put Jango off like nothing of the reasonable things she had said or done before.



She had been acting very foolish indeed. Courage! Maybe she could be freed of him after all by playing the lunatic? But right now, she was floating in the salty water. The balmy warmth was soothing. Her eyes fluttered shut…



“Don’t worry, I’m taking care of you, mommy...” a voice whispered.



Whatever her plans considering the new act were, hearing voices wasn’t a good sign for her mental health. Maybe she could just shut her ears and it would go away like a tinnitus.



“I always wanted to have a mom instead of always being one – as much of a honour it is, sometimes it is hard being the first one all the time. And it will be so much fun having a sibling and an older brother for once... five is a lucky number, don’t you think so? We just have to take care of dad soon, he’s the jealous type and will probably mind my presence... he’s got a problem with some of my abilities, hasn’t he?”



“Sibling?” so her child hadn’t turned into something alien to her, an infection eating her inside out... “Moro-sama?” This was impossible. She wasn’t dreaming, nor had she entered a ceremony to call spirits to her. She wasn’t a medium who received spontaneous visions... never wanted to be one – for good reason!



“Yes, it’s me, cub, we will be very close for a while.” Moro purred on “Throwing salt or drawing protective circles won’t breach what should never be broken. No need for formality with me, –sama here -sama there, mom,” she continued casually “I can see why dad is hesitant... there’s a guy here pestering me with what he calls the ‘living force’. He thinks it’s carried by little beings that lived inside of his mortal body... I wonder how he explains his own existence right now – but then, logic isn’t their strength, obviously. ...no wonder they are messing up the balance.



I dropped some hints to him for fun and now he is convinced that I can see the future. Can we? I doubt that... I mean, we could give it a try when you feel up to another ride... I’m a little being inside you, too, at least for a while... but I think there are lots of strings attached, lots of decisions to be made, many futures to see. But I think there will be more like him arriving soon and that’s a pretty annoying outlook. They hang around here unhappy, concerned, bloodless, boring and worst of all: unloving. I swear they are like... my kin doesn’t have a word for such useless things... so let’s refer to the human expression... yes... party-leftovers. The ones nobody wants to eat or take home. It’s not funny.”



Tomoe had no idea what Moro was talking about, so she listened and stuck to the obvious “What do you want from me? You certainly can’t expect this body to carry and bear you? How can I raise you, mother? What will people think?”



“Why not? We have shared our minds and bodies before... I missed you when I wandered so far away from you, when you didn’t call me to you. And when you finally called for me, invited me over on that cold salt-water-world, I was amazed what had become possible in the meantime. So much energy... so much focus! Over thousand years I had never experienced a symbiosis like that, and that says something. Whenever you were supposed to or not, you were so ready to take me in and fly with me, fly with me so far, it was exhilarating!



I’m not concerned what people think. They don’t know us. I’m alive and I want to live my fill. And I want you to live. You are my human family. I think you’ve got yourself a nice lever to the new ways. He’s made this possible for us after all, he’s quite a shapely example of your race, he will kick any butt that comes into our way and most of all: he tries hard to put things right for you, because he truly loves you...”



“What... no...” this was so confusing... she should really stop having heated arguments with herself!



“...or would you rather be stuck with a short green humanoid with a grammar problem and no compassion?”



“But... I can’t do this... we will die, all ... of us. I mean... you are already dead but we... that’s just impossible...”



“Shut up, cub, with the new means nothing is impossible. Change happens. I like it here ...and later, I want to have a good look around. Go to him tonight. Ttell dad exactly what he has to expect. I want to live with you, experience everything while we are together.”



“He will kill us as an abnormity if he finds out.”



“Don’t be so sure about that. He loves you. Don’t waste that, help him deepen his feelings. Be fair and give him a chance to trust you, then you might be surprised what you find buried deep inside him... Go for it. Don’t be afraid.”



“Uhh...” Tomoe swallowed. You didn’t tell a goddess ‘no’, you simply didn’t. Especially not the one that held her wing over her and Moronoko while growing up and who had saved her life and the body that was no longer her own. “I’ll Moro-sama.”



“I’ll protect you... mom.” The voice whispered as it faded away.



***



Tomoe was still confused when she exited the tub and got dressed, her head still spinning with the news. Good news. She tried a smile. It would take her a while to think that through. ‘C’mon, nothing changed to the worse. You promised to return to Kamino, but he didn’t go for it, so we are back where we were before.’



While he definitely held his focus, Jango’s behaviour had been quite fair, actually, despite the pressure resting on him. She could not see his face, but it showed in the way he held his shoulders, waiting in the shadows of the veranda for her return. It was a dilemma. His aim in life forbade him to let her go, but she could see that he tried to treat her decently. They were stuck in more than one way. While he kept guarding and protecting her at the same time, the TIV would not repair itself.



She hoisted her laundry basket on her other hip and smoothed her damp hair back “That was good, thank you.”



“Feeling any better?”



“Yes.... How are the repairs coming along?”



“Feeling safe again?” His gloved fingertips brushed her cheek. This time she didn’t stiffen. Good. He reached into a pocket and showed her a circular shape filled with electronics “I cleaned and fixed the transmitter and could install it until dinner ... can I leave you here with Boba for one hour?”



“You can. What would you like for dinner?”



“I’m sure you can think something up for us.” He retrieved a monitoring device of the kind he had used on Oniro. “Please wear this so I know if you are in trouble, whenever it comes from the inside or the outside. This is a heart monitor, this side is attached to the skin... and this is the microphone... if you feel this terror’s coming back, just call me. I take the jetpack then.”



Of course Jango wouldn’t go unless he knew that things were under control. “Alright.” Tomoe put down her basket on the wooden boards of the veranda and took the device between her fingertips. It was different from the anklet he had put on her. He had asked, was honest and informative and she could remove it with her bare hands whenever she wanted. She turned away from him for modesty, lifted the overlap of her cotton robe with her left and stuck the electrode to her chest, then sorted out the cables and put the bean comlink in her ear.



Jango inclined his head for a moment as if listening or modifying settings. “Thank you.” Once he was sure he wouldn’t make a scene in front of his son over the listening device, he followed her inside and took off the helmet. “Boba, I’m at the TIV for an hour. Take care of mom in the meantime, will you?”



Boba looked up from his notepad with a thumbs-up “Sure, dad, just one more lesson.”



“Good. Mom can help you.” He turned to Tomoe, suddenly filling out her whole frame of view. He didn’t need to tip her face up to him this time. He ran his fingertips lightly along her earlobe then trailed down her neck. She was too surprised to find his lips so he let his breath stroke her cheek then kissed her forehead before he replaced the helmet and walked out.



The chauffeur didn’t ask any stupid questions when he entered the garage but took him back to the TIV right away. Once the com was back online, he would have a word with Gilamar about sedatives and side effects.



***



While Boba went back to his homework, Tomoe knelt down in front of the alcove and concentrated. ‘Moro?’ she tried to fill her confused mind with nothing but her name.



‘Yes, mom?’ The elder answered cheerfully, obviously enjoying the reversed positions.



‘One more thing before I go... to I know that I’m not crazy or having another weird dream spawned by wishful thinking. Please tell me something I don’t know yet, just a little piece of information that I can check easily.’



“Tsk tsk tsk... you should learn to trust your feelings, mom. I’m as real and alive as you are. But if it eases your mind, there’s a little green guy on the council that leads the Jedi. Ever heard of him?’ – ‘I don’t think so...’ – ‘his name is Yoda. You can ask dad for verification.”



‘I don’t think that’s a good idea...’



“Up to you. But I think it’s a good start to take interest in both, dad’s allies and adversaries.”



‘I’ll Moro.’



She stood to prepare the cottage for the evening and to get dressed in proper robes. Somebody had taken care of things while she slept, the picnic basket was tidied up, kitchen was neat and the fridge was filled with what she needed to prepare dinner. The pedantic order carried Ukon’s handwriting and followed their routine of sharing what she brought home from the rare hunting or fishing trips. She would have loved to have a nice long chat and ask the old lady for her opinion, but this was not possible. It would make Jango nervous since Ukon spoke no Basic... and she had her own guests to attend in the Suzuki-Cottage. Okasan wouldn’t let anybody loaf around when there was money to earn.



Tomoe started dinner and thought how to transfer the information to Jango gracefully. He was the jealous kind. ‘Hey Jango, I’ll be mother of a beast’ probably wasn’t a good idea... Of course he could not know the bond they had, but if she could help him to understand their relationship, it could lead to some acceptance. In the meantime, Moro was fond to develop her newfound ability and kept chatting with mom. After all, humans were renowned for their multi-tasking abilities.



“The dilemma is that your and our kin alike want to touch the divine, to experience with all your senses. We love you and you love us back, therefore we are eager to thin the veil that will be between us forever. But once we have become touchable matter by acting on our compassion, we find ourselves in the same boat as you are. Yes, we hold our cover in good shape, for example we don’t get sick or age, and even though we don’t like the touch of denaturised iron, we had little fear of the human weapons of old.



It was a nice institution until mankind started throwing bolts energy around or even transform matter into energy. As different as we are, our transformation can be undone because the matter gives up to energy. Of course we are ‘alive’ in our very own definition of that word, therefore we can’t die, but we have to change to a higher form. I won’t lie; such a change hurts terrible because of the mass inertia and gravitation... I like the opposite process so much better, wrapping up my essence in layers and layers of soft tissue while listening to mommy’s heartbeat.”



‘Won’t it be dangerous?’ Tomoe inquired.



“Our tree of development began in the ocean, that is why our connection is strengthened by salt water, the more and the colder the better. As the human embryo moves through the stages, my sister and I will look very similar until the modifications of my higher life form are developed. I won’t drain you, mom, but I want you to eat well... and don’t forget how I love fish.



Anyway, maybe you could use some help on the outside. I’ll be very small and blind in the beginning and every start is a little confusing. But when my sister and my children can do it, so can I. Ask dad to call the doctor for you to be safe... the one he asked to check on you last night? His device sounds funny, all blips and whistles, I thought of joining the tune... imagine how he would have looked if he had got an echo... but hiya... I can do all sorts of exiting things from here... Look mom, without lookiiiiin...”



A horse radish lifted from the cutting board in front of her and hovered in the air, spinning slowly around its own axis. Tomoe pounced like a cat and pressed it back down, “Stop it... please!” Oh noooo... She could probably skip questioning Jango about the Jedi council, since Moro was working on her childish behaviour that obviously.



‘Last night?!’ she inquired.



“Yes, you were sleeping really deep and dad sent them away again. His new developed respect for you borders to the fussy sometimes.”



‘Does he know?’



Moro barked a laughter “He knows that you are well and that you are pregnant, yet the finer details will slip his notice a while longer. I thought it was up to you to know and tell.”