literature

Vode An: Brothers All

Deviation Actions

DarkEchani's avatar
By
Published:
1.6K Views

Literature Text

Brothers All

Note: Characters belong to Bioware. Mandalorian language created by Karen Traviss, and this time, there's a lot of it.
Artwork:By the very talented Xhybridus
Pairing: Canderous &F!Revan



The hunt for the Star Forge had taken Isole Nyxa and her companions, thus far, to Tatooine, a desert world, then Korriban, a planet of jagged rock mountains and palpable, crackling dark energy. Harsh, unforgiving places.

Kashyyyk was different. It was alive, thrumming with a primal energy that was almost like music. The wind sweeping through the Wroshyr trees was scented with rain. As twilight fell, the Mykal began to stir and call to each other in the distance. Now that Chuundar's reign as Chieftan was over, and Czerka slavers erradicated, there was a sense of peace in the village and contentment; in her journey, Isole had found precious little of that.

So, she strolled leisurely down the Great Walkway, drinking in the splendors of the unspoiled world. They were celebrating in Rwookrrorro that night. She intended to enjoy it.

"How is it you were in the army, but you can't follow the simplest orders?" she fussed at Canderous. He was supposed to be resting. Their encounter with the Ritual Beast in the Shadowlands had ended poorly for him: the beast's meter-long claws had shredded his armor as though it had been made of tin and left three great gouges that ran from his collar bone to the opposite hip.

"Udesii, cyar'ika," Canderous said with half of a grin. Calm down, sweetheart. "I'm fine."

Her eyes narrowed, lips pursed; it was a perfect imitation of Bastila's disapproving face. He wasn't 'fine'. He was pale, and she suspected he was only leaning on the railings because he was weak from blood loss.

"Atin dikuut," she muttered, but she made sure he could hear her when she called him a stubborn idiot in his own language.

Canderous chuckled under his breath. It was a deep, rich rumble in his chest. He loved to hear her speak Mandalorian. Her accent was so convincing, at times, he was convinced it was her native tongue, as well. By the fading azure twilight, he gazed at her fondly. "You did good work today," he declared.

It wasn't in his nature to give praise, but she had earned it. That Terentatek would have killed them all if not for her skill with her lightsaber. She had learned to fight with grace and tenacity that almost reminded him of the Jedi Revan: the conquorer of his people and the greatest warrior he had ever known.  

She was an inspiring presence. The entirety of her crew had come to see that, even Onasi. The little Tin Soldier had babbled through a clumsy apology for all the times he accused and mistrusted her. Now, he was back to making moon eyes at her.

Actually, so was Juhani...

That was exactly why he couldn't waste his time lying around, 'resting'. Sooner or later, one of them was going to grab Isole and kiss her like they had been aching to. Canderous was determined to be the one to do it.

Or maybe Juhani. He might actually like to see that...

But certainly not that chakaar Onasi.

"I have my moments," Isole conceded modestly. When he cocked his head and bade her silently to come closer, she gravitated to his side as though she couldn't stop herself. However annoyed she had been to find him out of bed, she quickly forgot. The sweet smell of kolto lingered on his skin, tempered with leather of his rust colored vest. The molten look in his grey eyes, like pools of melted silver staring down at her; it was intoxicating, being near him.

"I scrapped your armor," she mentioned offhand, because she was searching for coherant things to say.

"After Calo was nice enough to lend it to me?"

"He didn't lend it to to you," she grinned. "We killed him and took it off his corpse... and I found better armor. Real beskar'gam."

Armor rendered from Mandalorian Iron. Literally, iron skin because true Mando'ad lived in it like a shell. It was unstoppable: resistent to blaster bolts, extreme heat and cold, even the Force. Their armor was the pride of his people. That she had located some, and was giving it to him, shocked and humbled him.

"You amaze me, cyar'ika," he breathed. He was hardly aware of himself as his arm slowly twined around her waist. One of his hands found the nape of her neck, the other the small of her back. There was no obnoxious layer of armor between them now. When he drew her to him, it was simply her warm, soft body against his own.

Isole was putty in his hands. Her heart fluttered erratically in her chest. Her mind was blissfully blank. She lifted up on her toes to wrap her arm around his broad shoulders, intent on pressing her lips to his, but... the galaxy had other plans.

"Canderous!"

His eyes abandoned Isole and snapped to the figure advancing on them now. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Jagi?"

"It's been a long time, ner vod," Jagi drawled. Isole knew the phrase to mean 'my brother' could mean either a literal sibling or comrade in arms. But by with the acid in his voice, she had to assume it wasn't being used with affection.

"Canderous, who is he?" she murmured apprehensively.

"He..." Canderous struggled to reconcile what he had believed for so many years and what was standing in front of him now. "He fought under my command until, but I thought..."

"You thought I was dead," Jagi sneered. "You thought all of us you had sent on that attack had perished because you sent us to die."

"I-I did what was prudent at the time," Canderous was unnerved, stumbling over his own words. Isole had never seen him like this. "If I hadn't-"

"The battle would have been won anyway!" Jagi shouted so loudly and with such vehemence that the forest itself seemed to quiver. "You abandoned your own men so you could have the honor of killing the enemy commander yourself!"

"Men die in war," stated a glowering Isole.

"This doesn't concern you, Jedi trash!" Jagi snarled at her like a rabid tuk'ata.

At last, Canderous remembered himself. His eyes flashed dangerously as he stepped between the two of them. "Don't talk to her like that," he warned the man.

"The great Canderous Ordo, in love with a Jedi." The sneer on Jagi's face was chilling. "Aruetii."

Traitor.

The Mandalorian language had many terms of abuse, but none could have insulted Canderous more.

"I've spent years tracking you down. I will not rest until I have my vengeance," said Jagi. "I challenge you to the fight you fled on Althir. In the Dune Seas of Tatooine, I will be waiting for you. I've already told the clans of this. If you fail to meet me there, you will be dar'Manda, stripped of your honor and forever cast out of our society."






"You don't have to do this."

Canderous had been so absorbed in his work, he hadn't heard Isole approaching. A day had passed since his... encounter... with Jagi. He had hardly spoken two words since, but she could sense him in the Force: a dark, swirling vortex of anger and regret.

He glanced up from his work. For what was to come, he didn't want a blaster. While the life drained out of Jagi's eyes, Canderous wanted to see it. So, he took to the garage of the Ebon Hawk to sharpen and upgrade Naga Sadow's poisoned blade.

"I've been given a challenge I can't ignore.”

"You're still hurt from the Terentatek-" she persisted gently, but he cut her off.

"Then heal me," he snapped. Once during their travels together, he had allowed a Jedi to mend his shattered ankle and never again. He didn't even like to use kolto; pain made a man stronger. Isole didn't argue, not while his eyes were ablaze like that.

She crossed to him with three deliberate steps and pressed her hand against his chest where the wounds were deepest. He lifted his chin and stared into the wall while warm, soothing energy pulsed through him. She had seen the Terentatek slash at him with its vicious talons; she knew exactly what damage they had wrought, so it was simple to repair it. It took her a few moments to heal injuries that would have taken weeks on their own.

While she stood close and he could smell the fresh, clean scent of her hair, he thought of their would-be kiss on Kashyyyk. That moment had passed him by, and this one... this wasn't right. He was too angry, too distracted and impatient for other things. He vowed to himself that he would have that chance again, hell or high water, and when he did, it would be everything she deserved.

"Who do you want to bring with us when we face Jagi?" she asked him in a murmur.

"No one," he said sternly, then quickly answered the unspoken question in her eyes. "Just us."

It was a risk, but she accepted it with nothing but a nod. She withdrew her hand and stepped away. Only when she was gone did he realize she had left his new armor stacked neatly on the workbench.

Beskar'gam... it was a thing of beauty: dark, forest green with gray trim. The color, though he doubted Isole realized, was the Mandalorian symbol of duty. It was fitting. No matter what Jagi insinuated, it had been duty, not lust for glory, that had guided Canderous' actions in the battle of Althir.




The twin suns above Tatooine savaged the desert.

Canderous strode among the dunes like a malraas stalking in the jungle. To keep pace with him, Isole was practically jogging. It was difficult to see with the glaring sunlight and the sands shifting in the wind, so she stretched out with the Force to find Jagi. She could sense his wrath, pulsating, violent red.

"There, behind the Sandcrawler," she called to Canderous.

"Hnh," was his only reply. Hiding in the shadows was a coward's tactic.

"He's not alone. I can sense three others. Twi'lek and Rodian mercs," she continued. As she had grown stronger in the Force, she had developed an air of confidence. It suited her. She was a worthy companion for a Mandalorian, and her powers were damn useful. "I guess he couldn't convince any of your people to join him."

A ghost of a smile touched his lips.

"Jagi!" he shouted as he marched forward. "Come out and face me like a man."

A challenge like that couldn't be ignored. Jagi strode out of the shadows with his hired thugs fanned out behind him. He beared his teeth in a chilling semblence of a smile. "You're going to die here, Canderous. Not just for my revenge, but for all the men you left to die on Althir!"

The battle began with a plasma grenade.

Isole called on the Force to vault out of the blast, but Canderous didn't bat an eye. Bright orange flames burst to life at his feet, but to Jagi's horror, they just licked harmlessly at his armor. Canderous walked through the smoke like some sort of demon out of hell.

Jagi launched himself with an animal roar and a vibroblade in either hand.

Canderous batted them aside with the Sith sword in his right hand, then with his left, he staggered his foe with a punch to the jaw.

The bounty hunters opened fire. Isole threw out her hand and blasted them with a rush of Force energy. They toppled like toys. Before they could get back to their feet, she had leapt between them, slashing out with her double-bladed lightsaber. She sliced a Rodian's head off his little green body, drove her saber through a Twi'lek's chest. The last of them drew a knife and jumped at her back, but she caught him with the Force and hurled into him into the broad, rusty back of the Sandcrawler.

When she was done with them, she prowled in a circle around the sparring Mandalorians. Jagi had to be Canderous' kill.

"You coward," Jagi hissed through his teeth. Their blades clashed again. One of his own had been knocked from his hand. He had no armor. His weapon was vastly inferior. He was half as strong as Canderous; Jagi knew he was about to die. "Glory hunter!"

"You're a weakling," growled Canderous as he thrust the sword through Jagi's unprotected belly.

Jagi gaped with an open mouth as crimson flooded down his torso. He collapsed against Canderous, drawing in sharp gasping breaths. Slowly, but surely, the light went out in his eyes.

Canderous wrenched his weapon free and let the corpse fall to his feet. For a long moment, he didn't move, didn't blink, simply stared down at the dead man.

"Canderous?"

"I made the right call on Althir," he asserted firmly, lifting his gaze to Isole. "Without that feint, the battle would have lasted much longer and we would have lost many more. Those that died, they died for a cause. This..."

He gestured at Jagi. "This was senseless. Mandalorians will never be great again unless we stand as one."

"Maybe what your people need," suggested Isole, "is a strong leader."


Ancient Mandalorian War Chant:

Kandosii sa ka'rta, Vode an.
Mandalore a'den mhi, Vode an.
Bal kote, darasuum kote,
Jorso'ran kando a tome.
Sa kyr'am Nau tracyn kad, Vode an.


One indomitable heart, Brothers all.
We, the wrath of Mandalore, Brothers all.
And glory, eternal glory,
We shall bear its weight together.
Forged like the saber in the fires of death, Brothers all.
The Canderous Romance, part 4: his attempts to get closer to Isole are interrupted by a challenge to his Mandalorian Pride. Title inspired by ancient Mandalorian War Chant which means Brothers All
Part 1: Escaping Taris
Note: Characters and plot hail from Bioware, Knights of the Old Republic, and the snippets of Mandalorian language in italics are from Karen Traviss, my favorite Star Wars author.
Artwork:By the very talented Xhybridus
Pairing: Canderous & F!Revan
       Of all the planets he had ever known, Canderous Ordo had come to hate Taris the most. Not because it was unpleasant; it wasn't volcanic or barren, it's atmosphere wasn't toxic. He despised this place because it had taken a proud Mandalorian warrior and reduced him to a petty thug.
       Sure, it paid well enough, but lately he resented himself for prizing credits above his own honor. It was time to move on. The Sith had occupied the planet, complicating his escape, but he had a plan.
       Unfortunately, the plan hinged around a girl: Isole Nyxa.
       It wasn't like him to take partn

Part 2: Decisions on Dantooine
Note : All Characters and situations belong to Bioware. I merely tinkered with them to add in a story of my own. All Mandalorian words and phrases in Italics are from Karen Traviss.
Artwork:By the very talented Xhybridus
Pairings: Canderous & F!Revan
A pink and gold sunset was slowly fading behind the serene pastures of Dantooine as  Canderous Ordo emerged from the Ebon Hawk in search of fresh air. Now that their companion, Isole Nyxa, was being trained a Jedi, the tension on board was palpable. Bastila was always whispering in her ear. Carth was brooding over the secrets they kept from him. Mission was still sulking over the destruction of her rakghoul-infested trash compactor of a home planet. The Wookie kept to himself, but the damned astromech droid kept wheeling through the ship, whistling and beeping cheerfully. That was just irritating.
Canderous had been trapped there, confined to the medbay by t

Part 3: Mandalorian Charm
Note: Characters belong to Bioware.
Artwork:By the very talented Xhybridus
Pairing: Canderous & F!Revan
"We're your slaves, huh?"
Isole Nyxa had just tossed herself onto her cot when she heard the cool, sardonic voice of Canderous Ordo in her ear. She had known him almost three standard months now, and she could recognize when he was being playful and when he was genuinely annoyed. At the moment, he fell into the first category. A smile rushed unbidden to her lips.
The Sith believed her to be a Fallen Jedi that had come to Korriban to learn their dark powers. She had been accepted into their academy for training, and the only way she could think to get Canderous and Carth in with her was to tell her 'masters' that they were her slaves.  
"Hush, slave," she whispered back with a sparkle of devious humor alight in her eyes. "Someone's going to hear you."
"They're asleep," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

To keep reading...
Part 5: Revan Unmasked
Note: Characters belong to Bioware. Mandalorian words and phrases belong to Karen Traviss.
Artwork:By the very talented Xhybridus
Pairing:Canderous &F!Revan
On the long voyage between Tatooine and Manaan, Isole Nyxa decided she needed a break. She liked these people, she really did, but for once, just for a minute, she wished they would just... stop talking.
Jolee told the longest, strangest stories that almost had a point, but not quite. Whenever Juhani saw Isole, the Cathar practically backed her into a corner and told her her life story. Bastila was the worst of them all. One more lecture about resisting the Dark Side, and Isole was most going to fall to the Dark Side just to spite her.
That in mind, she tiptoed through the rear of the ship and slipped as silently as possible into the starboard dormitory.
"Out!" she heard Canderous snarl the second she crossed the threshold.
She stopped dead, more shocked tha

Part 6: Darasuum
Forever
Note: Characters belong to Bioware. Mandalorian words and phrases belong to Karen Traviss and the lovely art provided by the very talented Xhybridus
Pairing:Canderous & F!Revan
Canderous had been scowling at the murky waters for hours, watching the sediment churn and the seaweed undulate in the current. Now and again, he thought he had seen a Firaxa shark skulking in the vegetation, but it was difficult to tell. What little light did make it down here to the Hrakert Rift were merely ghosts sweeping across the sea floor.
Revan was out there somewhere. She'd taken the only enviornmental suit and trudged out across the bottom of the ocean in search of the Star Map. Waiting for her  was driving him mad. The longer she was gone, the more horrible images sprang to mind like... her being devoured by a man-eating shark, or her oxygen tank running empty while she gasped for air...
He shut his eyes to block them ou
© 2016 - 2024 DarkEchani
Comments2
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
xHybridus's avatar
Logged on today and what did I see? two chapters? It just made my day. ^^
Great chapter by the way. One suggestion would be to link all these chapters together so it is easier for readers to read them in sequence.