Saga Never Tell Me the Odds| Kessel Run 2023

Sweet sisterly time. I loved reading about Wren and Bellona growing up together, enjoying sibling moments. This is the kind of thing they'll look back on later and cherish.

 

Thanks! Yes, Bellona is definitely surprised by the care and work that Wren has put into the treehouse--I mean she's just a kid after all And I bet they do watch the glimmer-flies all night, y'know, for inspiration.

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the story. This is something I would have enjoyed when was their age--heck, I would probably do it now if I got the opportunity!

You know, I don't think she does. She's really not the type of person who would consciously try to squelch someone's joy. She's just at that awkward age when it seems terribly important to prove that she is Totally Grown Up. She lightens up a bit when she gets older, and isn't so pushy about convincing Wren to be artistic and cultured, and has her sister's back when Wren is navigating things like relationships and fancy dress parties.

Thank you! I've always felt that Bellona and Wren are genuinely fond of each other, despite their differences, though I think Bellona sells Wren a little short. She may not be into art, but her creativity manifests itself in different ways. Working with her hands to build the treehouse and furnishing it with the family's leftovers is a form of creativity in its own right. And Bellona realizes she can contribute her talents to make Wren's special creation even better.

Thank you! I really enjoyed writing as Bellona for a change, and I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. My sister and didn't have enforced sister time, though I'm pretty sure there were times when Mom instructed my sister to take me along when she would rather not have But Wren and Bellona are like us in that it's not that they don't get along, they're just different. Their interests overlap in some ways (what good Mando doesn't love mesh'geroya? ) but the art thing is a huge divergence for them. But that's okay, because when they try, they can find those common areas and enjoy each other for who they are. And yes, Bellona is good-hearted and generous as we see here (and later when she designs Wren's dress for the Xionos' fancy party). Part of the joy of creativity is to share it with others! Thanks again, and I am sure that the Ordo sisters will appear in future tales!

 

Week 9
Title: Bajur bal Beskar’gam
Characters: Sabine Wren, addressing Maximus Ordo (OC)
Genre: Character study, introspection
Timeframe: OT, ca. 6-7 ABY
Synopsis: Sabine repaints her beskar’gam for her upcoming wedding and reflects on her complicated relationship with her family.

Notes: “Bajur bal Beskar’gam” is the first part of resol’nare, the six basic tenets of Mandalorian life that every Mando learns as a child. It translates as “education and armor”, but bajur connotes more than just schooling, it also includes the raising and nurturing of children - preparing them for life and survival

Thanks to @Findswoman for beta reading and to @Mira_Jade for brainstorming when I was stuck. Her suggestion of a Mandalorian addressing their beskar’gam sparked the idea for this story.

———-

Oh, Max! Hello, cyar’ika; you’re just in time to see my new beskar’gam design. Well, no, there was nothing wrong with it, but beskar’gam is supposed to reflect who you are, so I like to update mine to reflect important events-- and our marriage is pretty important, wouldn’t you say?

There, see, I worked in the golden color of your beskar’gam into the stripes on my chest plate. It really complements the purple, don’t you think? And take a look at the right pauldron— it’s the Clan Ordo sigil. The design behind it is the stylized grain motif from the stained glass at the Ordo Stronghold. I thought that was appropriate since it was a trade agreement that brought us together. I considered painting a bowl of tiingilar behind the sigil to commemorate our first date, but that didn’t seem dignified enough. What, there are worse things I could have chosen to represent our love than tiingilar. It’s warm, nourishing… spicy…

I’m glad you like it. I just hope my mother won’t blow a gasket when she sees I added your clan sigil. Or course she likes you-- it’s just that Mother always had certain expectations for me. She expected me to become the clan leader after her, and I think she expected that my husband would join Clan Wren, just like Father did. But you’re the head of Clan Ordo now, and even Mother realizes you can’t very well give that up, assuming you wanted to. Clan Wren has prestige, sure, but Clan Ordo is even older and more prestigious. Mother’s still not happy that I’m taking the Ordo name and leaving Krownest for Ordo, but she can’t say much about it. It’s not her choice, anyway.

No, I’m not unhappy about leaving. I love my family and Clan Wren and Krownest, but…well, it’s complicated. Especially with Mother. How can it not be, after everything that happened?

She and Father taught me about resol’nare, about honor and duty, about the importance of clan and culture. I was proud when they sent me to the Imperial Academy. I was going to become a soldier, to serve and fulfill all those ideals I’d been taught. And at first it all seemed good. My instructors had nothing but praise for me, said I was diligent and inventive. They gave me special opportunities to tinker with the latest weapons tech. And isn’t that every Mando’s dream— to build the perfect weapon? Then I found out why they wanted those weapons the other cadets and I were building. It went against everything my parents had taught me and I knew I couldn’t do it any longer. I couldn’t keep silent and keep my head down while the Empire used my work to rule my people by fear!

So I went to Mother and told her everything.

And she chose the Empire over me.

I know family is more than blood, but blood should count for something. The Empire never wanted to be part of our clan; their leaders never wanted to be true Mand’alors to guide and protect their people. It was only about power for them, and what they could take from us. And Mother couldn’t-- or wouldn’t --see that. She named me a traitor for telling the truth. She banished me, and no one in my clan, not even my father, spoke up for me.

Looking back, I realize what a scared child I was then. Ketsu and I thought we were so daring becoming bounty hunters— us against the Galaxy! But we were just girls and how we didn’t get ourselves killed, I’ll never know. The Ka’ra’s favor, I guess, or the Force. I would have died when she ran out on me if it hadn’t been for Hera and Kanan. They showed me what it was like to have true vode, comrades who were more like family, though I didn’t always make it easy for them.

I thought when I returned to Krownest with the Darksaber, Mother would finally listen, but instead she was prepared to sell out my vode to atone for my past "treason". It was only when Gar Saxon nearly destroyed our whole clan that she finally saw what I had been trying to tell her all along: the Empire and the Mandalorians whose honor they’d bought didn’t care about Mandalore, only themselves.

It’s been a hard road back to Krownest for me; it’s not easy for me to get past the way my clan treated me, but I try my best. Another lesson I learned from the Spectres: nothing’s more important than family, even when that family makes mistakes. I can’t blame Tristan; he was even more of a child than I was, and Father became Gar Saxon’s hostage to protect Tristan, Mother and the rest of Clan Wren. But Mother… I think things between us will always be difficult.

So, no, I’m not really sad to be leaving home. Sometimes I think it’s for the best that there will be a bit of distance between me and Mother. Besides, I’m not losing Clan Wren, I’m gaining Clan Ordo. I know your mother and I have had some differences of opinion, but I honestly admire what she did to protect you from the Imperialists in your clan when your father died. I’m glad to be joining a clan that truly values family and wasn’t afraid to stand against the Empire despite the danger.

But the best thing I’m getting by joining Clan Ordo, is you, cyar’ika. I know I can rely on your strength and honor— your love. We are one, and we will share all, and when we raise warriors, they will know their parents love and believe in them, no matter what. Maybe I should have gone with the tiingilar design after all, because that’s what I want our family to be: warm, comforting, nourishing. Spicy? Well, that’s just for you.

Ni kar’talyi, Max’ika, darasuum.

++++
Mando'a terms:
Cyar'ika: darling, sweetheart
Beskar'gam: armor
Tiingilar: spicy stew, like a curry
Ni kar'talyi darasuum: I love you
Max'ika: affectionate diminutive

The story of how Sabine and Maximus met is found in Strategic Alliances

 

I enjoyed this as we see Sabine's warm and candid feelings for her family and the anticipation and gladness for joining her life to Max and his family.

 

An excellent piece revealing more about Sabine and her family and the one she is going to marry

 

Thank you both! I’m glad you enjoyed the story; it gave me some new insight into Sabine’s character and her relationships.

And now….


Week 10
Title: Do Not Kriff with the Office Manager
Genre: character study, humor
Timeframe: OT, sometime before 14 BBY
Characters: the Middle Brother (OC), Ninth Sister
Synopsis: Do not mess with a Sith accountant’s lightsaber.

Thanks to @Findswoman for beta reading and for suggesting that I write about our odd OC, the Middle Brother, Inquisitorius officer manager.
———
“Another damaged saber?” The Middle Brother frowned and pushed his spectacles up. They had a tendency to slip down his long, narrow nose, but contacts made his pale eyes itch and there was no way he was letting the Inquisitorius’ med droid give him cybernetic implants. He’d seen the results of their … ahem… health care. “This is the third one this month. Do you know how much these cost?” The spinning mechanism alone cost as much as a speeder. If a single blade was sufficient for Lord Vader, why did mere Inquisitors need souped-up whirligigs?

“So?” the Ninth Sister grunted. The Dowutin was built like the love child of a rancor and a boulder, and had a disposition to match.

“So? The Empire isn’t made of credits,” he sighed. “There’s a Rebellion to crush…”

“Then I guess I’ll just take this one.” She reached across his desk for the carmine-bladed saber in its burnished bronzium display stand. “You certainly never use it.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he told her quietly.

“What are you going to do about it? Everyone knows if your talent for the Dark Side was a frag grenade, you couldn’t blow your nose with it.”

“Do you know who the last being was who touched my lightsaber? The Thirteenth Brother.”

“The Thirteenth…?”

“It was tragic, really. He had an unfortunate encounter with a Force Shaman on some backrocket Rim planet. Probably would have lived except the med shuttle couldn’t find any record of his health insurance until it was too late.” He shook his head with a sigh. “Tragic.”

The Ninth Sister’s eyes slid to the datapad in front of him on which he was currently reviewing personnel files. Slowly, she eased her claw-tipped fingers off the saber’s hilt.

“I see you understand me, Masana Tide.” He knew her real name, of course. He knew all their names, even if they’d forgotten them. “Do not kriff with the office manager.”

“I’ll… be going now.”

“Yes. Have a good day.” The Middle Brother smiled and replaced his saber in its cradle, then turned to his thermajug and poured himself a nice cuppa. He sincerely regretted the unpleasantness. Unlike some Inquisitors who let their anger intoxicate them, he preferred to stay calm and… calculating. He stirred sweetener into his tea and sought the solace of Merkeshian mint and orderly columns of numbers.
————

 

Sorry for falling behind! I'm playing catch-up again, but I took a detour to read Strategic Alliances, so you're losing the more detailed review I could have left here if I had more time, but I gained a fantastic read!

Bajur bal Beskar’gam

I loved all the Mandalorian world-building and politics in Strategic Alliances and the squee-worthy Mando romance, so I was very glad to see both aspects back in this story. I thought it was very Sabine to enter this story through the prism of the modification she's making to her armour in preparation for her wedding (as a side note, I do hope that there will be a fic about how she handled her future mother-in-law in those wedding preparations ) and her musings about how there's a bittersweet element of putting some distance between herself and the clan that didn't treat her particularly well in her marriage is very grown-up, for lack of a better word. She's not the impulsive Sabine we got to know in Rebels anymore; she's much more aware of her own worth and of the worth of what she found in Maximus.

Such a good way to see things. She didn't just gain her husband's love, she gained a clan that values her for what she is.

Do Not Kriff with the Office Manager

This is such a hilarious concept: the dark side weakling that blackmails the others into submission through the power of bureaucracy. I need to track down your other stories featuring this character now!

 

Fun in week 10 with the Inquisitorius who doesn't use his saber but repairs sabers. Calm and calculating like a true burocrat

 

Lovely, lovely reading time ...

It's like a charm bracelet, but easier to see than the little silver rattle for a new baby, a teensy drum for joining a drum circle ...

I like how you portray all Sabine's story in this fic as she reminisces and paints.

I'm glad to hear she feels it's worth the effort because she's had a raw deal even from those she trusted most.

[][][][]

And he would know best! *shivers*

First, I love the name Middle Brother, just wanted to tell you that's a perfect name for someone not an Alpha, at least a traditional, action-oriented one. He knows how to play the game, though.

 

That’s okay, I’m glad you enjoyed Strategic Alliances. It’s the story that really gave me an appreciation of Mandalorian culture and of Sabine as a character.

I would love to do a story about Sabine balancing Demetria and Ursa’s plans for the wedding one of these days.(And possibly getting fed up with the whole mess and eloping, because it’s perfectly acceptable for Mando couples to say their vows privately) I was really struck writing this by just how badly Ursa treated her daughter. Sabine was probably only about 14 when she was banished from her home and cut off from her family. It’s always implied that she was closer to Alrich than to Ursa, but it seems that he wasn’t willing or able to go against Ursa to help Sabine. I love how you put it about Sabine being aware of her own worth and Maximus’s. She’s come to realize that her honor lies in who she is and how she chooses to live, more than simply in her clan—and it’s probably a tough lesson for a Mando to learn!

This is actually the first time the Middle Brother has appeared in a story, but @Findswoman and I gave the Inquisitors some extremely pretentious fanon names a while back and came up with the idea of the Inquisitor who kept their books being simply the Middle Brother and having a name like Bob Johnson He was originally meant to be sort of a milquetoast weakling, but as I was writing he took on a much more sinister cast. No, he can’t Force choke his enemies…but he can drain their pension funds!

He really is a bureaucrat in the worst and most evil way possible. Do not kriff with the guy responsible for your health insurance…

Thank you, and thank you for the suggestion to write about the Middle Brother! I think someone’s cousin must own the factory that makes the parts for the Inquisitorial lightsaber, possibly Tarkin or the elder Hux I would not rule out writing his further adventures if the right prompt comes along!

Thank you so much!

It is, rather! I’ve noticed that on Rebels, Sabine frequently repainted her right pauldron to commemorate a loss— a convor when Ahsoka was lost on Malachor, a purrgil when Ezra disappeared into the Unknown Regions. It was nice to write her commemorating a joyous event this time!

I think it would be hard for any Mando to give up on their clan, and I think Sabine still loves them and has fond memories. But she’s grown enough to realize that loving and forgiving them doesn’t mean she has to accept her mother’s plans for her. She is her own woman, no matter what clan she belongs to.

Yeah, he’s not going to win any contests for brute strength or Sithly skill, but he will kriff you up all the same!

 

And catching up with...

Week 8
Title: It’s Not You, It’s Me
Characters: Sabine Wren, Din Djarin, mentions of Grogu, Peli Mott
Genre: Crack, humor
Synopsis: Sabine regrets getting involved with a certain Mando.

Thanks to @Mira_Jade for the suggestion! And thanks to @Findswoman for beta -reading
------

“We need to talk.” Sabine motioned for Din Djarin to take a seat. They’d been dating for almost six months now, and it had become increasingly apparent to her that there were some things the two of them needed to discuss.

“Sure. Grogu just fell asleep so I’ve got some time.” He sat down in the conversation circle across from her. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Us. Din, what are we doing here?”

“Talking?”

It was hard to tell if Din was trying to make one of his very infrequent jokes or truly being obtuse. With his helmet perpetually on, there was no way to judge his facial expression. And his muffled voice was just as expressionless as his helmet whether he was saying “I’d like a small bone broth for my son” or “this is the way” or even “I love you, Sabine”. She sighed.

“I mean, where is this relationship going? You talk about wanting to build a clan together, but we haven’t even kissed yet!”

“I’ve kissed you!” Now at last, some emotion—faint indignation—had crept into Din’s voice.

“No, not a Keldabe kiss, an actual kiss involving lips.” There was nothing wrong with Keldabe kisses, per se; the touching of helmeted foreheads could be surprisingly tender. But if Din was truly serious about having a long term relationship and building a new clan with her, then something other than gentle head butts was going to have to happen between them. “I almost hate to ask… but what do Children of the Watch do when it comes to… procreation?”

“Huh?!” Din seemed startled.

If Sabine had had her helmet on, she would have been tempted to give him a none-too-gentle Keldabe kiss at that moment. “You do know where babies come from, right? Are you Children expected to wear your helmets through the process?”

She would have said he was staring blankly at her, but that was how he always looked. “I… never really asked. They gave us the Talk in the foundlings’ crèche but, just, you know the general…uh…mechanics, and I… uh… well… never really… ”

“No, of course you didn’t.” The Ka’ra forbid he should wonder about something involving actual Human interaction.

“You said you were okay with my beliefs,” Din said, his voice becoming a bit testier.

Sabine shrugged, spreading her hands. “I thought I was.” She’d become accustomed to living and working with beings of varying traditions: Hera’s Twi’lek Goddess, Zeb and his Ashla, Kanan and Ezra and the Force. And of course, her mother and the original Death Watch, though the less said about that the better. “But I always thought that if I met a man who wanted to build a clan with me, I’d get to, y’know, see his face at some point.”

“This is about Grogu, isn’t it? Sure, women say they want a man who loves children, a sensitive man with feelings, but will they date a single dad who would do anything for his son…”

“It’s not about Grogu.” At least, not about the little green foundling as such. Din’s dedication to his adopted son was laudable, but it was a bit… intense. Well, maybe “all-consuming” was a better description. It hadn’t been much of an issue at first, when she and Din were just chatting after his Darksaber training sessions, but Din’s motto was “wherever I go, he goes,” and that included their dates. The only time they’d really been able to spend time by themselves was the time on Tatooine when Peli Motto had offered to babysit Grogu so they could go to the local dive where her last boyfriend, a Jawa (“Furry. So furry”), used to take her. Sabine and Din had had some decidedly inferior drinks (his imbibed through a straw) while Din related the latest cute Grogu stories.

And that was pretty much a metaphor for their entire relationship. Despite having the Darksaber, Din didn’t seem to have any particular ambition to be anything other than Grogu’s dad and a mid-grade bounty hunter. While Sabine could understand not wanting to be the leader of Mandalore, she wanted more out of life than drifting around the fringes of the Outer Rim looking for second-rate criminals. After contending against Tarkin, Vader, Maul, and Thrawn, JoBob Antilles who’d embezzled from his employers was a pretty poor opponent.

She sighed again, more in resignation than annoyance. “Din, this… this just isn’t working. You, me… whatever this is we’re doing. I can’t make it work anymore.”

“You’re breaking up with me?” Clear incredulity in his voice now.

“I’m sorry.” Sabine wasn’t sure she actually was sorry, but it was one of those things you said in these situations. “It’s not you, it’s me.” That was another thing you said, but this one was true. It was Sabine’s choice not to spend fifty years or more watching Din fuss over Grogu to the exclusion of everything else, maybe taking in more foundlings here and there, but never seeing Din’s face. She stood up. ”I think it’s better if we don’t continue the Darksaber lessons, so good luck with that. Retur’cye mhi, Din.” Maybe we’ll meet again… but not if I can help it.

 

Being always behind a helmet and fussing with grogu does that to him.

 

Excellently plausible interaction and characterizations. No woman likes to feel like they're at the bottom of the list and the guy they're ostensibly dating is clueless about their feelings and what they need out of a relationship. Din is too ultra-focused on Grogu and doesn't have room for any other priorities, nor does he make Sabine feel included as part of the family circle they already have. She certainly doesn't feel like he wants more out of life.

 

Loved this! Sabine does and says all the right things in the Breakup Scenario often headed by the dread "we have got to talk."

Also good was Din's grousing about women wanting sensitive guys, but not really.

 

Yeah. A couple conversation that begins like this isn't going to work out

I really had a good laugh reading this because you did a great job of poking fun at the fact that Din is so emotionally stunted, and that's a legit trait of his from the show. The only being that matters to him on a personal level is shown to be Grogu, whereas he interacts with everybody else as if they were abstract concepts from the Creed rather than living, breathing, thinking people, and yes, if you take that logic to the extreme, the difference between a Keldabe kiss and "an actual kiss involving lips" is an absolutely minor detail.

Then of course you had to go and add this aspect, and I was

And this:

... versus this:

Yeah, Sabine darling, he's just not the man for you. Go back to that nice Maximus Ordo gentleman that you met in a different timeline, at least he know how to talk to a Mandalorian lady.

This was a great interpretation of the prompt and a very enjoyable read!

More generally, thank you for writing and sharing these stories over the last three months! You made many of us readers very happy each week, and you did an awesome job at keeping up with the challenge under adverse circumstances If you ever decide to write that final story, please do tag me, because I'd love to read it